Sometimes I look at Ray and I am in total conflict with feelings of sadness for his past life, and happiness with having him here. His past life really is an unknown but there are a lot of indicators pointing towards less than desirable circumstances. When I first met him he was expressionless, distant, vocal, and reactive. He was a loner. He was a survivor.

This afternoon, I was sitting on the edge of my bed working on my laptop when Ray came in and casually jumped up onto the bed and curled up. I continued working and then felt some movement behind me. Ray had stretched out to his full length (right behind me) so I reached back and stroked him for a few seconds before returning to my work.

A few moments later there was more movement and a touch. I looked down and saw that he had moved up against my right side; had put his head on the top of my right leg and was just looking up at me. How could I resist? I stroked his head, his cheeks, scratched the top of his nose, under his chin and caressed his ears. His coat was so soft and loose, and his lips and mouth were clearly relaxed.

This was the dog that was once expressionless, distant, vocal and reactive. He was a loner. He was a survivor.

A quote attributed to Mahatma Gandhi probably says it best. “Where there is love, there is life.”