I first met Sophie, a delightfully scruffy  and spry little terrier mix,  in 2002 at the Refugio Franciscano,, a large shelter in Mexico city that houses approximately 2,000 dogs . I volunteered there daily for a year of my life between undergraduate and graduate school and Sophie arrived late one afternoon as I was cleaning up a pen in the back.

Sophie approached me immediately, sociable and friendly, and cute to a fault. Trailing behind her were her two young pups, about 8 weeks old.  They were adorable – literally could’ve been on a postcard. Fluffy doll faced ragamuffins that looked like little teddy bears. My heart ached when I saw them following  behind her because I knew their chances for survival were very slim at the Refugio.

Sure enough, when I arrived a few days later, Sophie only had one pup following  behind her. The other had died. And then, a few days after that, I arrived and Sophie was in the corner of a pen where about 50 smaller dogs were housed. She didn’t come over and greet me, which was out of character, so I approached her and was deeply saddened to see she why she had been reluctant to move.

Sophie wouldn’t budge because she was standing guard over the other puppy – who lay dead on the floor.  She stood over him, protecting him from the other dogs, distressed and panicked. The exhaustion and fierce desperation in her eyes was crippling.

But, I had to do something.

So, I  spoke softly to Sophie, trying to reassure her, the best I could. I remember her high pitched whine as I approached – her  pleading eyes staring right into mine  with an urgency  so dire it  pierced straight through my chest and split my heart wide open . I gathered myself and continued forward, doing the only thing I could…. I knelt down next to her, stroked her head, continued to reassure her, and I gently removed her her dead puppy.

And, as I did so, I made Sophie a solemn promise – that I would get her out of there and find her a home as fast as I possibly could.

I’m happy to say, that is just what happened. Our very first  international rescue effort happened about a month later and Sophie was in our first group of dogs.

Sophie was adopted out through the Center for Animal Protection and Education {CAPE} who has been a wonderful partner to our organization since our very early days. I remember I heard a veterinarian on their board had fallen in love with Sophie and adopter her. I was thrilled.

Fast forward a few years. I received an update on Sophie after the veterinarian, Dr.Conkling,  who had adopted her wrote an article about her and the impact she had had on him.  He told the most amazing tale of how adopting Sophie had literally saved his life.

Dr.Conkling had become ill after helping with a goat cruelty investigation. He had contracted a disease called Q-fever ,which had resulted in a debilitating, chronic illness. Even after the physical symptoms improved, he had been left with an almost paralyzing depression that was overtaking his every day life.

That is, until he met Sophie. Once Sophie was by his side everything turned around. He not only found his own  life immensely more enjoyable, but also set out to make other people’s lives better, as well. He started doing assistance dog therapy and eventually progressed to fospice animal therapy for dying patients with Sophie. He raved that Sophie’s presence had an amazing and healing effect for the folks he visited and that she was enriching the lives of people in need through the work they were doing every day.

We ultimately became great friends with Dr. Conkling, who is, hands down, one of the kindest, most gentle souls I have ever met. He volunteers faithfully at every one of our free local clinics and will be coming down to Mexico with us this summer for a clinic we are hosting south of the border.

Don and Sophie continue their therapy work and in doing so touch the lives of hundreds of people who are facing incredibly difficult times.

Imagine my absolute delight when I opened my email this past week and had a message in my inbox from Dr.Conkling. Sophie had been selected as this year’s inductee into the  California Veterinary Medical Association’s  Animal Hall of Fame and Dr.Conkling had been awarded their prestigious Meritorious Service Award for the amazing work he does.

Bravo to them both!

Not every story has a happy ending, but this one sure does. To think of how utterly transformed Sophie’s life has been and how she has, in turn, transformed the lives of so many more inspires me to no end.

As I read the news of the awards, I smiled to myself recognizing that I, too, had been transformed by  Sophie. This sweet dog, whose tragic circumstances once broke my heart wide open, had managed to  find a way to  mend it back up again and fill it with the promise that each life holds.

Every life saved is a true miracle and the ripple effect of that happiness is immeasurable.

To find out how to help us save more lives, visit www.cwob.org