A Light in the Heart
From Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Very Good, Very Bad Dog
By Connie Kaseweter Pullen

Fun fact: Some animal shelters test how a dog behaves around cats so they can advise people on whether the dog they want to adopt is "cat-friendly."

"Has anyone seen Charge?" I murmured, only half-expecting a reply. The kids were running around the house, each doing their own thing, and my husband was watching the football game. So I made a quick check of the bedrooms and looked out in the back yard. Since she had only been out of sight for a few hours, I wasn't overly concerned. I assumed she must be under one of the kids' beds, hiding from all the chaos that was normal for a Sunday afternoon in our home.

Charge was a homely, mixed-breed canine, to put it kindly. It wasn't her fault; she was simply gifted with the worst appearance traits from each of the breeds in her background. She was about the size of a Cockapoo, with gray-and-black wiry hair, short legs, and a long straggly tail. She constantly cowered when strangers approached, which definitely did not help her appearance. But she had a heart of gold, and we loved her. (Keep reading)