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One night, I heard our four (rescued) dogs barking at something, so I grabbed a flashlight and headed to the backyard to check it out. I was shocked when I discovered it was a small dog causing the ruckus. She was holding her own, though, and snarling at the other dogs.

I yelled for my husband to bring me a blanket. I was afraid that in her terror, she'd bite me, so I slowly walked over to her and, using the blanket, gently picked her up. I tried to keep her crated that night, not knowing if she had any health issues. However, her cries broke my heart, and I failed to keep her in it! I brought her into bed with my husband and me, where she burrowed under the covers with us.

The next day, I carried her around with me and knocked on doors, asking everyone if they knew to whom she might belong. As it turned out, she belonged with me.

We bought her a collar, got her spayed, and struggled to find the perfect name for her. A friend of mine suggested Shooter, as in "If my wife rescues one more dog, I'm going to shoot her." That was it. The perfect name! (Followed by 15 years of explaining why Shooter had a boy-dog name. And then explaining that my husband wouldn't really shoot me, no matter how many dogs I brought home!)

Later, after driving for three days, we arrived at our new home. Shooter was thrilled that we had a window at her height! She "helped" us paint and also with our planting of trees and bushes. She loved the snow, too, even when she could barely keep her head above it!

Every day, she did something that made us laugh. She loved my husband and our other dogs, but most of all, she loved me. We still don't know how Shooter managed to get into our backyard that night. All we know is that we are grateful she did!

Our sweet girl crossed the Rainbow Bridge three years ago, and I still miss her beyond words. I can't wait to see her once again running like the wind to get to me!

Story submitted by Valerie Myers.

This story was originally shared on The Animal Rescue Site. Share your very own rescue story here!