When my family decided it was time to get a family pet, we ( the kids and I) spent many hours at local pet stores and animal shelters. Despite the time we spent holding and walking different dogs, we never found the “right” one for us.
One Saturday, we stopped by the Humane Society and there was a female Chocolate Lab who had just been brought in. She had just had a litter of puppies (within the past 48 hours) and had then been abandoned. No trace of the puppies was ever found but she was a mess. In spite of her poor physical condition and emotional distress, there was something about her that caused all of us to feel an immediate bond with her. We decided to come back in a day or two when she was feeling better. We came back 2 days later specifically to see her, only to be told that she had just been spayed and was still in great physical and emotional distress. Nevertheless, in spite of her difficulties, she tried her best to put on a good face. We immediately saw the character and integrity of this beautiful animal and we all fell deeply in love with her with her.
We took immediate steps to ensure that she would come home with us at the earliest possible moment. She had been given a shelter name by the volunteers at the Society. We renamed her Sophie and took her home with us, where she remains to this day: a faithful, loyal, beautiful member of our family.

Spencer from MT