Happy paws HAPPY HEARTS!

ZOE CONNECTS RESCUE ANIMALS WITH PEOPLE IN NEED

- Ruth McCarthy

Zoe Black's love of animals stems all the way back to her childhood in country NSW.

"My parents were wildlife carers and from the age of two I was often bottle feeding a motherless joey," Zoe, now 40, tells New Idea. "We also had rescue dogs."

Although Zoe's adoration for animals didn't waver, she never imagined the impact they'd have on her life as she entered adulthood.

In her twenties, Zoe's mental health plummeted after a deeply personal, traumatic experience.

"I lost my identity and my self-worth. I doubted myself, mankind... absolutely everything," Zoe, now based in Brisbane, confides. "I felt disconnected from the world and utterly broken inside."

She started volunteering at various animal shelters. Slowly, she began to find herself again.