righteousness and peace have kissed. Ps. 85:10 CEB

It was late October and Luke had been hanging out in the neighborhood for several days. Roaming freely this brindle-colored canine was fickle. He would go up to and make friends with other dogs on our street while simultaneously watching for soft touches for a free meal. Two households were providing food and water to the interloper. When I placed a dish of food beside the horse trailer, it was a commitment.

But how would Sam, my 14-year-old, 85 pound, mixed breed take to him, I wondered. Sam is protective and doesn’t cotton to strangers, most fanatically not to humans. Oh, he likes my octogenarian female friend. However, she and only she is welcome in our 400 square foot cabin, as far as Sam is concerned.

Not taking any chances I rushed to purchase two muzzles, one for each dog, before introducing the latest rescue, now called Luke. At first separated by a doggy gate, Sam primarily ignored the upstart. After a few days the gate was used mostly at feeding. The muzzle still comes in handy when taking rations to the livestock or being gone for brief periods.

It turns out Luke still has enough puppy in him that furniture and other items appear perfect for teething, despite the fact that Luke doesn’t have a single baby tooth in his mouth. For long departures he is crated.

Recently, Luke has taken to checking on me around 3:00 am. The futon when unfolded is closer to the ground than a normal bed. While sleeping soundly, Luke approaches and first sniffs my face, then up comes a paw followed by a second one.

I say, “No,” several times while placing his legs firmly on the floor. Finally, I forcefully tell him to “stop and go lie down,” which he does. Half Sam’s size Luke is still ample. At different times in the day he gets a notion to crawl up in my lap and put his head on my chest with feet still grounded.

When all the affection he desires is not reciprocated or the session has concluded, Luke  goes over to Sam. He  has even once or twice licked Sam’s face. Sometimes Luke reclines beside the alpha dog, who has accepted the newest member of the family in stride.