Romans 8:28 — "All things work together for good to those who love God and are called to His purpose."

It was a hot summer night and I thought I would check the email one more time before closing for the night.

An email stood out to me. It was from a woman in New Jersey who was distraught and pleading for help with more than twenty small dogs.

She had been in rescue herself at one point, but her world had turned upside down and so did the rescue. She said she was once a part of the solution but now found herself as part of the problem. With all foster dogs being returned to her, many unaltered, the rest is not hard to imagine.

I responded and asked her to call me so I could better understand what had happened.

After a long conversation, I learned that she and her son had been driving around Maryland looking for any help they could get, even if it was for just one dog. Every shelter turned them away. She had no idea what to do or where to turn.

Something inside me, that still, small voice, said to help her.

What I did not know at the time was what had been happening on her end while she was searching. This is what she told me:

When she and her son got back in the car and kept driving, they prayed together. Her son reminded her of the scripture: wherever two or more are gathered in His name, prayers are answered. So they prayed. Deeply. And they kept going.

I told her I could not promise anything, but she could bring all the dogs to Hope Center at 10am on a Saturday morning. I knew this would overwhelm our staff, so I sent an email to all of our fosters asking them to show up and see if there was even one dog they could take. I also contacted our groomer. She showed up. So did many of our fosters. It felt like everyone had shown up to help.

As dogs were being chosen and then groomed before leaving, it was a miracle to watch the events unfold. Not only did all the dogs leave that day, but one of our fosters, who is also a veterinarian, chose a dog she knew needed surgery, performed that surgery herself, and later became a mobile vet for our rescue. What started as a desperate email on a hot summer night had set something much larger in motion.

As the day went on, most of the dogs were chosen, leaving only three that we were able to get to another group, and the oldest dog, Happy.

I told her I would take the oldest dog. She cried.

After an exhausting morning, I took Happy home to meet his new family, my other dogs at home. As we always do, we scheduled his vet appointment, only to find he needed immediate surgery due to the number of stones in his bladder and urethra. He was in surgery within 48 hours and has been on a special diet ever since.

God put Happy in my life even though I never adopt a dog under 13 years of age. Happy was only 6.

She thanked God for the answer to prayer and texted me every day, still worried about what she believed was a complete failure on her part. We became close, the kind of friends who message each other every day. Almost two years later, we still message each other almost daily.

It took months before I even realized that Happy had actually been her personal dog. When I found out, it felt like it was God's way of protecting her heart. We had already formed a connection, and she knew he was getting the best care possible. He did that for both of us.

But sending her photos of him every day seemed to bless her heart in ways I had not expected. When I told her I was keeping Happy, this is what she said:

Happy has become a very large piece of my heart. I do not know how I lived without him.

God does have a way of making all things work together for the good, to those who love Him and are called to His purpose.

She and I both love the Lord and honor Him with our lives.

Written by Pauline, Director of Hope For Life Rescue

If Happy's story moved you, you can carry a piece of it with you. A shirt from our Stories of Hope collection is available in our Bonfire store, with 70% of the proceeds going directly to the animals. It's one more way to be part of our work.