When we were at the beach, my ten-year-old daughter came to the tent screaming and grabbing clothes. I followed her to see what the problem was. There was Sarah sitting on the beach shivering from her day of swimming. And there was my daughter putting all the clothes she could carry onto Sarah, saying over and over “We promised, we promised she would never be cold again.” Sarah was cold, but not for long as my children wrapped their bodies around her to warm her up.

So to anyone who has ever thought of fostering or adopting a rescue dog, be prepared to cry, be prepared to laugh, be prepared for problems, be prepared for mistakes, be prepared to sleep with umbrellas, brooms and the mailman. I was prepared for all of these thing (ok, maybe not the mailman). But I sure wasn’t prepared for the depth of love I would feel for a little rescue dog called Sarah and the amazing affect she would have on my family, kittens included.

To the people who left her outside in the yard, your loss is truly my gain. Thank you.