Dena M. Hodges is the first-born grandchild of Charles M. Schulz, creator of the highly acclaimed Peanuts comic strip and internationally recognized Snoopy character. Dena was the only grandchild of Charles M. Schulz for the first seven years of her life. She is also the only child born to the oldest of his five children.

Dena is a single mother of two biological biracial daughters by her first marriage, and her children are the two oldest great grandchildren of Charles M. Schulz. Dena and her daughters are animal lovers who reside on a small farm in north central Florida. Dena also oversees the Paws and Claws Florida division of a 501c3, Howey Horse Haven, through which she cares for neglected and abandoned cats and kittens.