My house is full of dogs. One of my stepdaughters breeds Aussies, so we often have an extra dog or two staying with us. But we still find room for a rescue every so often. Usually we foster them for a number of weeks or months until a permanent home can be found. I think it helps them to socialize with other dogs, especially if they have been isolated and penned up.

One day my wife brought home Pepe, a Mexican beagle that had been in an abusive home. She hadn't asked me, and was a little hesitant about my reaction. Well, I sat down with Pepe, and it took me about 30 seconds to bond with him. I said "I guess this little fellow has found a home here." Pepe was not the best looking example of his breed. He was kind of snouty and had a terrible overbite. Being a beagle, he was pretty vocal, and being Mexican, he didn't speak a word of English. But he sure was good company. Smart, too. I never had another dog figure out how to open the refrigerator. We had to bungee it shut to keep him out.

One day when I was out of town, he and the other dogs got out of the yard. I'm pretty sure he had figured out the gate. The others came back, but the Pepe didn't. The next day, my wife got a call from the vet. He had been found dead in the road. We had chipped him, so they were able to trace him back to us. I like to think that at least we were able to give him a couple of pretty good years. He sure gave us a couple.