“Love that stammers, that stutters, is apt to be the love that loves best.”
-- Gabriela Mistral

She came in as a stray towards the end of a very cold January. The staff named her Gabby. She's guessed at around 8 years old, but I wonder if she might be younger. There are some health concerns related to the kidneys that need further investigation. And there's a mass on her front leg that should be looked at.

That's the clinical stuff. The stuff of the heart is another thing altogether.

Just over 2 weeks in the excellent care of our friends at Toronto Animal Services - North Region and she's already formed attachments with her rescuers, but not without a great deal of courage and effort on her end.

Gabby is fearful at first, expecting the worst but desperately wanting the best. Her heart is so open to love but her head tells her to be careful.

If that isn't enough to want to give her the world starting now, I don't know what is.

I went to the shelter yesterday just to check her out. They told me she was sweet but I still needed to get a sense of whether we could help her, whether we could find her just the right foster home before taking the plunge. It's good to have all your ducks in a row first. That's the sensible thing to do. If you don't, it's kind of like jumping out of a plane without a parachute.

I also came with a name I thought I liked better than plain old Gabby. Something pretty and poetic.

But I was taught a lesson yesterday. Gabby was my teacher. This is the name she was given by her rescuers, strangers at first but not for long. They were kind to her when she was so scared she wished she was invisible. But they gave her a reason not to disappear. They fed her and kept her warm. They even took her on walks as though she was their very own beloved pet. They proved to her that she's not invisible.

They proved to her that she matters.

And when they call her by name, her tail wags.

Gabby is perfect just the way she is, no matter her name and no matter her health issues. We're not only going to keep proving to her she's not invisible, we're going to shine the light on her for the rest of her life.

And so, I jumped out of the plane without a parachute.

She's now at our vet clinic for her medical care. I have faith we'll find her the perfect foster home.

Gabby marks the first beagle we've taken into our repair shop this year.

Thanks to your support, she won't be the last.

On behalf of Gabby and all the beagles who will surely follow her into our hearts as so many others already have, THANK YOU and Happy Valentine's Day…