That's how my husband and I met our Kirk (on the left in the picture and named after Captain James T.!) as we were headed out to an appointment one cold December afternoon in New Mexico. We rounded the corner of our apartment and there he was, walking down the path! At first we thought he was growling at us, but he was just startled and immediately showed his sweet side when I reached out my hand to him. He was skinny and alone, but had a collar on. We spent a few minutes with him, but had to leave for the appointment. I couldn't stop thinking about him and neither could my husband. We rushed home, and there he was: waiting for us with a "goofy smile" on his face once he saw us. We cuddled him, opened our door, and he went right in and made himself at home on our couch. We sent out feelers to see if anyone was looking for him since he did have a collar on. No one was, that we could find. And maybe that's because of how high-energy and intelligent our boy was - he had bad separation anxiety, maybe due to previous treatment, and was destructive and escaped his crate several times. We were patient with him and he has mellowed with age into the loving, fun companion we knew he could be. We almost lost him in 2016 after a major case of IVDD that paralyzed his back legs and would have killed him without surgery, but he made it through and is going strong to this day. He is a great big brother to our newest addition, Scottie (on the right). And yes, we also have a Spock (a former stray kitten from the same complex). We are so glad we ran into Kirk that day. We gave him a chance after a seemingly rough start in life, and our patience has been rewarded tenfold. Please be patient and give the stray or shelter dog or cat you take in a chance to grow and warm to you and your household. It's the most rewarding experience to nurture growth and change in them.

Ashley G.
ALBUQUERQUE, NM