Sam & Piper Horton
Sam and Piper Horton are a mother-daughter super duo!
Sam has been teaching middle school since 2006! With the recent changes to teaching due to COVID-19, Sam has learned to go along with the flow for her students. She enjoys reading, crafting and hanging out with the cats at Valley Animal Center.
Piper loves horses and is a barrel racer. Barrel racing is an equestrian sport where racers and their horses compete to run around three barrels in the fastest time. Piper has been doing this for six years! When asked what she loves about it, without hesitation, she said, “The adrenaline.”
Sam and Piper have been with Valley Animal Center for 3 1/2 years! When they volunteer at the Cat Adoption Center, they fold laundry and spend time snuggling with the cats. When they volunteer at the Dog Adoption Center, they take the dogs out for walks.
Jessica Silva, one of our dog care associates, said Sam and Piper have dedicated a lot of their personal time to the shelter.
“Whether it’s on the cat side or dog side,” Jessica said, “they make sure to always give our animals the love and attention they deserve.”
Piper first wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter because she had wanted a kitty. Volunteering at an animal shelter was meant for her to be able be around cats without her actually owning one. However, only less than a month in, she adopted Lovekit.
Lovekit is a tortoiseshell cat; half of her face is orange and the other half black. Sam had never seen a cat like Lovekit before. When Lovekit was adopted, everyone at Sam and Piper’s home fell in love with her except for their rabbit who just needed some time to get to know Lovekit.
Aside from Lovekit, there have been other animals whom Sam and Piper have fallen in love with. Sam’s favorite is Elektra, a cat who is known to be picky but grew to allow Sam to play with her. Piper has a special spot in her heart for Kodak, a cat who looks like a bat, and Simon, a cat who thinks he’s a shoulder kitty.
As to dogs, Ace, one of our long-term residents, is Sam and Piper’s love.
We are so happy Sam and Piper are with us at Valley Animal Center!