While driving to work on a very cold February morning in the Chicago suburbs, I stopped the car because this dog with a Styrofoam cup in his mouth was in the street. As I approached the dog, he was wagging his tail and was very skinny with his fur in a mess from being alone. I quickly scooped him up, drove him, and gave him food and water. I felt every bone in his back because he was so underweight.
That was the day that changed our lives postively. My wife and I brought him to the vet and the vet thought he was a year old and was out surviving for 3 months. We named him Cody. As we quickly bonded with Cody, nothing could ever separate him for us. We adopted him and spoiled him with attention and affection. He quickly gained to his weight and loved his walks. This wonderful, loving dog is an inspiration to us. He taught me what’s really important in life: life was to be savored with all the joy it brings and that togetherness is what really matters, not material things. It’s what you do that matters, not what you have.
We’ve been blessed with his presence for 15 years and while he’s a senior dog, he still gets around, loves to eat and play. Not everything works as well as it used to, but he’s growing old gracefully which we hope we can be fortunate enough to do ourselves.

— Martin from San Diego, CA