Zach Skow, founder of the rescue Marley's Mutts took part in a video series by Jockey, titled, "Show ‘Em What’s Underneath" and as Jockey describes, "Skow shows the power of purpose in giving back."
You can check out the video below as Skow discusses being diagnosed with end stage liver disease to using his dogs as a way to push himself.
Skow said in the piece above that he had not been without drugs or alcohol for his entire life and that it got to the point where he didn't know how to look himself in the mirror.
"One day I went to the bathroom and I couldn't understand who the person was in the mirror that was looking back at me," Skow said. "I started to weep and look behind me and all three of my dogs are looking up at me wagging their tails and that was a rude awakening you know to stop feeling sorry for myself and to buckle down."
Skow continued in the video stating that he knew he couldn't live for himself, but that he had to try to do it for his dogs.
"I had started a large dog foster program and I just threw myself into fostering and we've been able to save thousands of dogs lives," Skow said.
Skow went on to talk about Noel, a dog that became part of Marley's Mutts after being hit by a car.
"You know shes not felt sorry for herself, shes figured out life on life's terms and that's what we can learn from these dogs," Skow said. "If we can get through all kinds of stuff like this just as gracefully as they can, I live for being able to find the potential in the throwaways."
He continued in the piece stating that he wishes people were more willing to give second chances, and this is seen a lot of time in the animal rescue world where dogs are often characterized in a certain way.
"We shouldn't be defined by some mistake we made in the past," Skow said. "We should be defined by our actions and our love and our capacity for love, it kind of starts by being vulnerable."
