Adopted teen feels connected to senior dogs she helps place in 'forever homes'

The money Meena Kumar earns as a pet-sitter isn't spent on new clothes or the latest electronics — all of it instead goes straight to the Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.

Kumar, 14, lives in San Jose, California, and first learned about Muttville five years ago, when a neighbor told her about the organization. She has always loved animals, and after her first visit to the rescue, which re-homes older dogs, she was hooked. "They're the most gentle and loyal creatures," Kumar told Today.

She couldn't adopt a dog — her family already has a rescue named Bambie — but Kumar still wanted to help Muttville. She launched a pet-sitting business called Pet Fairy Services, with all of the money she earns from walking dogs and taking care of them going to Muttville. So far, she has donated $14,000 to the group — she earned $7,000, and that amount was matched by her father's work.

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Kumar was born in India, and at nine months old, she was found abandoned in a basket that had been left on a college campus. She spent the next year in an orphanage, before being adopted. Because of her past, Kumar said she can empathize with the dogs she helps. "It feels great to know that I've saved many dogs' lives and given them another chance to enjoy life for their last years of living," she told Today. "I feel like all dogs should get a forever home just like I did."