I can't count the number of times unwanted dogs and cats have been abandoned here.  Each time I always feel anger and disgust at those heartless individuals who can just toss a pet out like so much refuse.  Those feelings surfaced again late one September evening in 2004 when I discovered a collie had been dumped here.  He was an un-neutered adult male who was very frightened and probably with good reason.  His ears and muzzle were horribly fly bitten.  Beneath his filthy, matted fur he was no more than a bag of bones.  It was heartbreaking to see that he had been neglected and malnourished for quite some time before he was unceremoniously heaved over our locked fence.  Yes, I was angry and disgusted.  Yet when I looked into his eyes, I was glad that of all the places this dog could have been abandoned, it was here.

The photo above was taken the morning after his arrival.  It doesn't even come close to illustrating the poor condition of this dog.

Just look at him now!  After many hours spent grooming him over a period of several days, he was looking and feeling so much better.