After teaching for twenty-nine years, I retired in 2015 to spend time with my ailing mother and my senior dog, Buddy Boy Joe. My mother passed away in August of that year, and my Buddy Boy Joe followed in November. To say I felt lost would be an understatement. My husband and I rattled around the house for a year, not really knowing what to do with ourselves. Around October of 2016, I started looking at the Austin Animal Center Facebook page, but hubby wasn't ready yet.

In December 2016, I saw a photo on the AAC Facebook page that stole my heart. Guffy had been picked up as a stray, and he had two deep, infected wounds on his side and numerous smaller wounds, along with an upper respiratory infection.

I showed my husband, and he was smitten. The next morning he asked me if Guffy was still available. He was. We rushed over to meet him, and we knew he had to be ours. As soon as he was neutered, we picked him up, and the fun began! His behavior notes said he was medium energy level, timid, and shy, but boy were they wrong! He is a wild one!

Last January I took him to the vet because he had developed a limp. He was diagnosed with arthritis in his elbows, but the real heartbreaker was that the x-rays showed shotgun pellets scattered around his midsection. Somebody had shot my baby! That solved the mystery of the wounds he'd had on his side when we met him.

Since adopting Guffy, my life has completely changed. He has so much energy! We take long walks every morning, go to the dog park daily, explore all of Austin's beautiful wonders, and enjoy lots of playtime in between. He loves everyone he meets, both human and doggie. He is my constant companion and best friend, and it's amazing how far he's come! People always say that I rescued him, but truly, he rescued me! He is my heart!