SIMPLY EXTRAORDINARY MEET Allie Darrow

Allie Darrow, a 28-year-old newlywed from Deptford, seems to have a special gift for communicating with dogs. Darrow holds a doctorate in Behavioral Health Management and works as a compliance administrator at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

- JOHN KELLMAYER

Allie Darrow, a 28-year-old newlywed from Deptford, seems to have a special gift for communicating with dogs. Darrow holds a doctorate in Behavioral Health Management and works as a compliance administrator at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

Allie speaks about dogs with the enthusiasm of a child on Christmas morning. She and husband, Austin Darrow, have five dogs, two that they are fostering and three of their own. She is delighted and intrigued by their dogs, who every day remind her that the world is full of surprises.

At first glance Allie seems like the prototype of the successful young professional. But look deeper and ask about her hobbies. After some hesitation, she says, “Aside from my dogs, I don’t really have any hobbies.” She pauses, as if searching for a thought, then says, “I like to cook.”

She grew up in Ocean City, where in high school she volunteered to work at an animal shelter. It was there that Allie met her first love, a yellow Labrador whom she adopted and named Remy. While volunteering at the shelter, she discovered that she had a talent for nurturing sick and traumatized dogs. She seemed to experience a profound communion with the dogs.

After completing college, she began to volunteer with an organization that rescued dogs from puppy mills. From that point on, Darrow’s life has literally gone to the dogs. But there is nothing pejorative about this description. Allie and Austin love their five dogs. One of the dogs is Sunny, who was a breeder dog rescued from a mill.