In volunteering at a shelter, there’s always a short list of dogs that stand out in your memory as favorites. I can recount mine by heart at any moment: Kumah, Charlie, Zeus, Syer, Malachi, and Moose.

They could have been exceptionally sweet or quirky. More often they’re the ones that started out as a challenge but in the end taught you something you didn’t know yet.

Moose checked all the those boxes for me. She was an intimidating barker with an equally intimidating size and stature, stationed at the end of our runs where we usually place dogs who are reactive and need a little less stimulation from the passing public.

I’ll admit. I was scared of her. Like so many who passed her, it was clear she’d prefer if I just moved along.

Then I brought some hot dogs with me one day and after some necessary barks, she came over to take a few.

The next time, I got the same big barks but quickly she seemed to stop and say, “Wait. That’s the guy with the tasty meat treats!”

After that, we were best buds and I ended up bringing her home for foster last summer.

It’s hard to describe how beautiful, gentle, and majestic she was. Maybe the video below will do her some justice.

When people talk to me about volunteering at the shelter, they often say “Oh! I’d love to do that but I’d want to take every dog home!” Probably true for them, but for me, it’s always a thrill to get a new training dog when yours gets adopted. The cycle starts all over again.

More than a year on, I still miss Moose and part of me really wishes I would have adopted her.

The silver lining is that she found a really perfect home. I was there to introduce Moose to a couple who already had a shepherd puppy at home.

The interaction was going great and at one point Moose went into a down position, rested her head on her outstretched paws and looked into their eyes. Game over. As she did that, I realized I was not taking her back home with me and we were actually saying goodbye. 😔 The ride home was the saddest drive I ever had returning from the shelter.

I miss you Moose! Keep being an awesome, good girl! ❤️