June Aries cracks open a beige three-ring binder filled with hundreds of newspaper clippings, dozens of letters, a few poems and several awards.

“This is my life,” she said, gazing at the pages.

The contents, like Aries’ work, is predominantly devoted to animal rights, activism and education.

Communications from organizations and individuals ranging from the Humane Society to former President Bill Clinton and Senator Patty Murray are accompanied by certificates of appreciation from animal welfare groups.

“That’s been my big concern all my life: animals,” she said. “So many people are raised without a single feeling for them, and it’s terrible with the cruelty that goes on. I’m always, always working toward getting better laws.”

Before her husband Henry passed, he too was an activist, fighting alongside Aries for a variety of causes.

The couple first moved to Whidbey when Aries’ husband was stationed on the island during WWII. He was a sailor who handled PB radio wires.

The couple and their eldest son, one and a half years old at the time, lived in a small cabin in a row of four, just off of the beach. They had no running water, and Aries recalled using a dish pan for washing clothes, a wood stove for heat.

Come December, Aries became pregnant with their second son. With no dry wood for warmth, she decided to move back to Seattle with her young child.

“Now here I am, back on the island in my old age. But I’ve got running water,” she said with a laugh.

Aries was born in Bellingham in 1926, just prior to the onset of the Great Depression. Throughout her childhood, Aries’ father, an electrician, moved with Aries and her mother to wherever employment was available.

“I lived every place you could name for quite a few years,” she recalled.

Though frequent moves could be taxing, she credited her father as a wonderful man who always provided for his family.

Because her father ensured he always had work, she was one of the only students to attend school with new shoes.

“It was a sad time for a lot of people,” she said.

Throughout her childhood, a dog named Toughy and, later, her puppy Baby Boy were her only constant companions.

“The only thing I really had was a dog I loved so much,” she said. “I didn’t have many toys because they couldn’t cart those all over the place. But it didn’t really matter. As long as I had my dog, I was happy. That was my brother, my sister, my friend, the whole bit.”

“I still love dogs, any dog there is,” she said. “It doesn’t matter what they look like. I just love them.”

She’s had 26 dogs that she knows of. At one point, she had six at once.

“I think people need to wake up and understand how brilliant they are,” she said.

Aries said she can’t have a dog at her current Coupeville residence because she is unable to take him or her for walks, and doesn’t have a yard.

“It’s not fair to a dog if you can’t get him outside exercising,” she said.

But, an amicable cat keeps her company.

“That cat is so funny; he thinks he’s people,” she said with a grin.

When he’s given dinner, she said, he waits until she’s ready with her own plate.

“I guess he thinks we’ve got to eat together,” she chuckled.

Aries’ sense of humor is as strong as her sense of compassion.

If there is anything she’s serious about, it’s animals, she said.

Throughout the years, Aries has worked with various organizations and political leaders in the interest of advancing animal rights.

She’s received multiple gifts of framed photos and awards, but none are displayed in her home. She noted that doing so would seem off-putting to visitors, as though she was bragging.

The fight to protect the wolves has been one of the most difficult for Aries.

“I’ve had to fight hard for them,” she said.

When Aries’ family moved to Alaska when she was 14 years old, she hiked into the forest to seek out wild wolves.

“They don’t want any trouble,” she said.

Indeed, according to Politifact.com, studies indicate there have been no wolf-related deaths in the Rocky Mountain States, and wolf-human attacks are rare.

Wolves are vital to the ecosystem, Aries said, ensuring that other animal populations are kept in check naturally.

Recent bouts of illness have been enervating for Aries, but her drive to help others is as steadfast as ever.

She recalled a favorite quote by Albert Einstein: “Our task must be to free ourselves by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”