A rescue dog

It was a year ago that we saw a post from our local shelter that there was a $10 sale going on for dogs. My Mister saw a three-legged thing in a video and felt that it would be a great addition to our island of misfit toys.

But it wasn't what we came home with.

The personality was something to consider when bringing another furry friend into the mix. And what we really needed...I said as we rounded the corner of the shelter pens was something like...THAT! I stopped in my tracks. There he stood, a full grown beautiful but scarred up Great Pyrenees.

We asked to see the stray who had just arrived at the shelter and he immediately proceeded to lean in, hide between our legs and look as though he would chew his own leg off to get out of that place.

We had to wait for three days to see if someone would claim him. No one came.

I have a neighbor who has goats and three or four of these furry beasts, so I knew he had a job to do. Ignorantly, we put him in the dry lot with the goats and chickens the first day. He ignored them for the most part and just sat at the gate staring at us.

My neighbor cautioned me that guardian dogs take training. They need to learn who is in the herd and who is not. So she suggested I take him in and have him near us for at least two or three months...I think that was the moment I feared I was in over my head.

We don't have a large home. This dog was bigger than me.

The first night, I sat up all night weary of how he might act in the house with the other dogs, with us. Would he be a fight or flight kind of guy? It was touch and go for a few weeks as everyone tried to fit in but a year later, I am in awe of the transformation.

Yeti watches everything and everyone. He's not a 'family pet' but he knows his 'family'. And those big brown eyes!

Only when he leaves, will we fully grasp the magnitude of his contributions. I've heard that rodents and pests might come back, but for now, the constant barking at night serves as a reminder that we rescued a life, and he is showing his gratitude through daily protection, unwavering dedication, and loyalty. Remarkable. And all this for just ten bucks. I'd say he's priceless.