I wasn't looking for a pet. I was walking home from a rough week at work when a small, muddy dog started following me from two blocks away.

She had no collar, was clearly hungry, and wouldn't stop looking at me like she already knew where she was going.

I posted on PawAlert that evening, half-expecting an owner to claim her within hours. Nobody did. A week later, I stopped expecting anyone to.

It's been three years now. She sleeps at the foot of my bed every night, and I genuinely don't know what my life would look like without her showing up when she did.