Our tale begins around noon on March 27. Kayla Parrish, our new animal trainer, was on her way to F.H.S. to work with some of our dogs. Near the intersection of Golf Course and Little Mountain Roads, she spotted some movement in a ditch and as she slowed, a dogs head popped up. From what she could see, it had been rooting around in some trash looking for something to eat.&bsp; Kayla stopped to investigate and the little dog immediately ran to her whimpering. Babe, the name we gave her, is a little Jack Russell mix approximately 8 years old. Kayla opened her door and the little girl jumped right in, craving attention and I suppose, safety. Kayla gave her a few treats and they were gobbled right up. Since she didnt have a tag or collar on, she was brought to the shelter, but not before Kayla asked some of the nearby homes if anyone knew the owner.

Two days I met Babe for the first time as I was on schedule for morning clean up duty. I first looked over the board to familiarize myself with the status of the animals and to see who came in since my last visit.&bsp; Babe was listed down below in our new isolation area so I went down for a quick meet and greet and to feed them all. Babe was sleeping peacefully on her bed, curled up with her blanket. When I approached with the food, she rapidly came awake and trotted to the gate with her tail wagging.&bsp; Hi sweetheart, I said, its so nice to meet you.her tail began wagging even faster. Not now sweetheart, I smiled, first a little breakfast and then Ill be back for a walk after my chores.

Later that day, Kayla told me the story of how Babe came to the shelter and I was visibly shaken. Besides my compassion for Babe, memories of past dogs whod been abandoned ran through my mind:&bsp; Pippi, the emaciated Boxer, Phillip, the pup who was left in a bag with his decomposing siblings, Stevie the Tryon stray and most recently Loreli, whod been struck by a vehicle.&bsp; In one way or another, any of these scenarios could have been Babes fate. How could anyone just leave a sweet dog like that? Kayla asked me.&bsp; Perhaps she just ran away and the owner is looking for her, I replied, though deep in my heart I knew that was highly unlikely.&bsp; Anyone who had this dog that obviously lived in a home for years would be frantically looking for her if their intentions were honorable.&bsp; Though Kayla is great with dogs, shes fairly new to this end of the spectrum and I was attempting to ease her stress a bit.

If youre looking for a little more love in your life, come and visit Babe, she has plenty more years of it to give and loving is her specialty.&bsp; I know because she told me so when we finally had our walk.

Thanks for listening.