It's hard to understand why each dog bonds with their family, despite the fact that they're sometimes mistreated.
As soon as we moved into a home with a garden, my husband and I adopted a retired greyhound about 10 years ago. He shivered with worry all the way home in the back of our car. I can only imagine how he must have felt leaving his companion dogs behind in the kennels. When he entered our home, he immediately tried to jump on the highest bench—the sofa. We had to teach him the difference between his old kennel arrangement and his new abode. How we loved that dog, who became a gentle and caring companion.
When his mother realized that her 3-year-old son had wandered away from their family farm, she panicked and called 911.
Darkness fell in the freezing, wet night and a thunderstorm brewed overhead. Outside, hundreds of volunteers, firefighters, and a search plane turned out to scour the area for the lost child.
Six hours after the toddler disappeared, the search party finally tracked him down a mile away from home, safe and sound. The rescuers found the dog partly lying over him, shielding him from the rain and cold. The pet had kept the child warm.
The family discovered Cooper as a puppy abandoned in the road years earlier and decided to make him their pet. And so the bond formed between people and their dog—unshakable and strong.
When they returned, I was filled with wonder that a dog would accompany a tiny child along streets and across roads to keep him safe.