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As I walked between the cement kennels the noise of barks, howls and whining rose to a painful level. Paws of every color and size stretched through the chain link doors, as the dogs inside begged for human contact. Here and there a dog huddled in the back of their cage, hoping to avoid the abuse that they'd obviously come to expect. I struggled to keep focused, knowing that this quick twenty minute errand could easily become a heart-wrenching day if I allowed myself to become distracted by the many lost and confused dogs at the local animal impound.

This wasn't my first trip to the shelter. Several years before, my husband and I went to the shelter every day looking for our lost wolf-hybrid companion. Over the course of our search we gradually became involved in trying to get many of these dogs back to their owners or find them a new home. Today I was here to evaluate a dog for the german shepherd rescue group that we were currently volunteering with.

"The shelter called and said she only has a day or two. I really shouldn't leave work right now and wondered if you could run down and do a preliminary evaluation. Just a quick look," Beth had said. "If you can stop by and see the little girl and give me a call; let me know whether I need to make a trip down there..."

I stopped before the kennel and knelt down to get a better look at the dog laying in back of the shadowed cage. No welcoming paw or whined greeting from the small shepherd. She raised her head from where it rested on the cold floor as I shifted my weight. Sighing heavily, she laid her head back down to rest on her paws and watched me with sad, weary eyes. She was dirty and unbelievably skinny. Barely visible beneath the matted mud was a classic german shepherd head and familiar black and brown coat.

"Hey, little one. How ya doin'? Not so good, huh? Come on over here and let me say hi..."

Best case scenario, the dog gets up and walks over to you, tail wagging slightly, wary but wanting to be your friend. Worst case - the dog rushes the cage door, a nightmare of snarls and drooling saliva or sits barking hysterically against the back wall. You always hope for at least a twitching ear or the tiny wiggle of the tail. Today I got nothing. She continued to watch me for a moment, sighed again and closed her eyes. Out of sight - out of mind. Ignore the human and maybe it will go away.

I kept talking. Though I saw no signs of fear or aggression, I didn't see any signs of friendliness or affection either. I pulled

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