When my husband and I were talking about getting a companion dog for our aging dog, Katie, we went back and forth not knowing if she could go from being an "only dog" to having a sibling. My cousin called about a 15 week old puppy that had lived his entire life in a cage and was being "fattened up" to be used as a bait dog. There was no question that we were being called to rescue this little guy! The night we got him he jumped into my arms from hers as if saying "There you are! I've been looking for you!" Our girl had no trouble showing her sibling how to move right into our hearts. Jakob became my protector, my comfort, and my joy, much like our girl was for my husband. My husband joked that if we would have been human twins, it would be like we were of one heart and mind. We lost our girl, and Jakob was right there with her as she took her last breath. We lost my husband unexpectedly in September 2017, and after 18 years of marriage my entire world fell apart. I didn't know how I could go on without him. Jakob and his feline siblings have been by my side offering support, comfort, and unconditional love - they are the reason I have gotten up every morning and keep moving. Jakob is 8 years old now. His eyesight is getting cloudy, he's a little more gray around his face....but he's still got the heart of that 15 week old puppy that jumped into my arms. This photo has always touched my heart because I was able to capture it about 14 hours after he adopted us. He had never been able to sit and look outside in his short 15 weeks of life as he only knew a cage, and was in awe of all that he was seeing as he sat and looked out our door. He still loves to sit and watch the neighbors and the world alongside his feline siblings. My life is so very blessed to have been adopted by our Jakob, and because St. Francis of Assisi protected him until he was able to jump into my arms and find his "fur-ever" home.

Janice Martin
FORT WAYNE, IN