The Dogs
Miles (right): Found at Oshkosh Humane Society in 2014. He was my "welcome to Oshkosh" present when I began my position at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. A special needs dog, he was wandering alone during the 2013/14 polar vortex. He wanted warmth and food but was too scared to approach humans. After being live-trapped, he was brought to a shelter where volunteers worked with him to develop trust. While he is still skittish around people, he clearly wants attention from his human friends.
Maya (left): Found at Animal House Shelter in February 2020, just before the pandemic. She was wandering around southern Illinois and was heartworm positive. After months of restricted activity in a kennel (and a hard-to-kill parasite infection), she was finally happy to have a home with another dog and plenty of walk time. Like most huskies, she will absolutely chase anything regardless of size, including birds, rabbits, squirrels, cats, deer, horses, humans, cars, buses, garbage trucks, and so forth.