You were a street-dog. I used to see you with your family, hanging out most of the day on the main street. I knew your family were drug dealers. But you always looked healthy enough, and didn't look hungry.As soon as I first laid eyes on you I knew there was an incredible bond between us that I couldn't explain. It was as if I already knew you, as if I was seeing someone so familiar and so my heart always filled with affection whenever I caught sight of you.

The drug dealers you were with hung out on that street, and sometimes walked down another street nearby, and I'd catch sight of you trailing behind them, watching them patiently, walking very slowly. If you were given an order, I noticed you always obeyed immediately. They would tell you "wait" as they went inside a shop and stayed there a long time. You would wait outside, never moving, staring absently at the ground.
But from the coffee shop across the road, I could see in your sweet face that a great big part of your young life was not being lived.....

I didn't know these people, except by sight, as people I often saw in the street. But I sensed that I knew you. One day I went up to the woman you were with and asked "What is your dog's name? Isn't she lovely?
"Misty" she replied, "She's called Misty".
Up to that point you had been cool with me, giving me no warmer greeting than you gave anyone else you met on the busy street. You saw so many people. But then I called your name, and you looked me in the eyes, and came to my outstretched hand, wagging your tail and wriggling your behind in a new greeting.
Sometimes in the days and weeks to follow, I would see you and greet you, and you would come up to me, all wriggling with pleasure. I'd stroke you and scratch your ears, then we would go our separate ways.

It was a strange coincidence (are there such things as coincidences?) -that one day I stopped to help a young homeless man, a stranger, on the street. He had been badly beaten up, and I helped him and took him into my home. He told me he was addicted to drugs, and I promised to help as much as I could to support him. Well, one day he arrived at my home with you! He told me your owners had given you to him. I didn't even know he knew your owners!
What had happened is that your owners had intended to breed you to make money from selling your cute pups. But you and the pups had fallen sick from Parvo virus. They had all died, but you miraculously survived. When they saw you were so sick, they passed the responsibility of you and presumably, the cost and hassle of your care, to the homeless man who came to them for drugs.

I did help the young man, and he eventually broke free from Crack cocaine and Heroin. But when he went away, you were left with me for months at a time.
You enjoyed my world of fields and woods, and running semi-wild with me, you enjoyed being safe, of having a safe bed, and regular food, and fun. You were happy cuddling up to me at night. I used to see something in your eyes, the way you looked at me. As if you knew you had come home.I knew we had always known each other.
You were my little sister. My Soul Sister.

Sometimes the young man took you away. You were "his dog". He took you to the city, but many times he would call me saying you were depressed. He got arrested, and I had to come to fetch you, or you would have been put to sleep in 2 weeks. You stayed with me again for months.

Then one day he visited, saying he would take you away forever. My heart ached but I had to accept this. Weren't you "his dog?".... But although he had freed himself from drugs, his temper was bad, and he had now become alcoholic and angry. I could see how scared you were, you were trembling and shaking, afraid of his tantrums.

So I stole you!
I didn't want to hurt him. He was vulnerable. But I knew my first loyalty was to you, my sweet gentle Misty.
I first took you up with me to a high mountain I used to walk on when I was younger, and silently asked the Mountains and Nature what I must do. We stayed there all day, and I got my answer.
Nature wanted me to take care of you until you died.
So I stole you away from your past life. And knew I would pay the price. But promised to honour it to the last moment.

I payed the price on that early morning eight years later when I heard your last breath being taken, and then silence.

But until that sad day we had a wonderful life, my love. I thank you for the joy and love you brought me. I thank you for all your gifts to me. You changed my life.