Meet Wayward, the dog who showed up one day. I named her Wayward because that is what she was. One day in late winter 2005, as I picked pine cones from the trees up by the road, a pretty hound dog showed up and followed me around from tree to tree. My dog Zousa tried to run her off, but the wayward dog easily dodged Zousa. When we headed back to the house the wayward dog followed us. She discovered left overs in Zousa's bowl and gobbled them down, then she looked up at me and smiled and did a little dance, and my heart melted on the spot. She was as thin as a rail, her ribcage stuck out horribly, and she was terrified of sticks and raised voices. She took over Zousa's dog house, but that's OK because Zousa, who is part Chow, rarely went in her doghouse, and we have two houses anyway from when Zousa's brother was still with us. On May 24, 2005, Wayward gave birth to nine puppies; as soon as possible afterward I had Wayward spayed. Now I can't imagine my life without Wayward.

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