Written from the perspective of a rescued dog I have had the honor of meeting. He now works as Therapy Dog and is in a loving home.

     “Man’s best friend”, now what is that? There was a time I was no one’s companion. I was chained to one spot because after all, who really cared? One day to the next, my belly grumbled and my senses became dull. Really, what was there new to bury my nose in? It was that same dirt. In the cold and in the heat, it was just that dirt. Oh, and a flimsy piece of cardboard that did not interest me much. There was no searching for a shady spot, never mind a place to call home.

     When I was younger, I could hear the rest of the world in the distance- children playing, cars passing, others animals making their way by. They never did come close enough because after all, who really cared? I stopped listening. Instead, I chewed until my teeth hurt but my belly was still empty. A sad, deflated ball was all that was left with me- fitting I thought.  Who would want to play with this ball? I was trapped, even if I tried to run that chain was too tight around my neck, it was hopeless.  Yes, there were times I would become desperate from the hunger and pain- I would dig and dig to find the other side. There must be another way.  I dug until I had no nails left and I still could not find a way out.  But, then, just like that, it happened. It was on this day that I felt the touch of a human hand.  From that moment forward my life was never the same.  I left that dirt that day and have not smelled it since.

     At first, it was one set of hands, but many more would come.  My senses and my legs were weak, my eyes could not see beyond that dirt and neither could my legs carry me beyond it.  I could not protect myself from any threat.  These hands were now my protection, they saw what I could not see and brought me to safety.  They healed my wounds and lightened the weight of my mangled and dirty fur.  They fed me, bathed me, and touched me in a way I had never before known.  I surrendered to these hands because never in my life I had I felt so comforted by this sort of touch.

     Today, I have soft place to rest in a place I call home with a pack of my very own.  I explore the world with my new companions as my guide.  I play, I dig for fun, I bury my nose in new scents, I roll in the grass, and I am greeted by each person and animal.   I am now part of their world.  Every day, I feel the touch of human hands and this will never get dull.  Even if I am unwell, there are new hands that reach out to me to help.  I never do think about those other days, because after all there really are people who care.