When I first saw him he was standing in the road with his head cocked upward, listening to a Raven in a small village in SE Alaska. The sweet year-ish old, organic cotton-colored pup with a bounce in his step had already been the target of stick and stone throwing kids when we learned he was on the list of strays in the village to be shot. I lived on a 50’ research boat for the summer and brought him aboard for our remaining 6 weeks in Alaska.

PHOTO: PEXELS

He quickly adapted to life on the water and communal living. We often hiked in the wilderness and he never needed a leash - always wanting to be with us. Everyone loved him and he participated in every aspect of our lives. There was something special in his spirit and he blossomed with all the love. He’d never known a toy and his 1st, a stuffed chicken, initially scared him but soon became an inseparable part of him.

At the end of the summer a vet revealed a BB in his eye from his days on the street, and his eye had to be removed. He adapted well, and after that he made a great pirate at Halloween.

Darwin went everywhere with me as my best buddy. He loved to go and loved to come home just as much - something he taught me to appreciate. He always had to have something in his mouth everywhere we went and if a toy or stick wasn’t handy, he’d frantically look around for anything to carry - even if it was just a leaf stem.

We were not dog and master, we were a single unit. Darwin was the best, my soul dog, and the only constant I had in my life for 12 years.

Story submitted by Vicki Beaver.

Darwin's story was originally shared on theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com. Share your very own rescue story here!