Jump out of the truck

Knees almost buckle…maybe I am getting too old for this

Think of the ones we’ve saved

Keep moving

Notice the tiny girl on the driveway

Tattered dress, dirty face, sad eyes

Have you seen a doggie?   Her eyes flood with light

Through the shadows of what they have seen

Stretches her arm out – over there

We trudge through the mud – aware of the dark chill of the wind

Something moves beyond the house

Cautiously we approach – hurried anticipation of what awaits us

There she is, an emaciated, anxious female dog, curling into a ball

The only clue she is alive – her belly rises and falls faster on our approach

She attempts a growl, low and raw, but she is weak and tired

Belly extended she cowers and braces for what she fears

Human hands

Extend out to gently stroke her swollen pregnant belly

Now into the crate – away from this place

What is it to run free, be wild, have a home, be loved?

Jump back in the truck

Knees creak, keep moving, keep saving

Until there are none