And then, with a tentative step, he moved forward, his nose brushing against her fingers. The room seemed to exhale. Lily smiled, gentle and encouraging, as Ranger’s cold, wet nose pressed into her palm.

“It’s okay, boy,” she murmured, her voice a soothing balm to his wary heart. “You’re not alone.”

Tears glistened in her mother’s eyes, and even the hardened volunteers found themselves swallowing lumps in their throats. This was the moment they all lived for — the moment when a second chance seemed possible.