Some fifteen years ago or more when the old ravine acquaintances were still around with their dogs, people became aware that there was a stray dog roaming about the ravine. The dog's barking was often heard and people would view it fleetingly, as it sped away from human contact, finding shelter where people did not normally go, away from the trails.

But the dog would be seen daily, and it was the subject of much concern. People wanted to be able to approach it, to see if it wore tags identifying where it came from, but no one was able to come close enough, before the spooked dog would flee. It seemed interested in other dogs, and was friendly enough to them, but seemed to be suspicious of humans.

Eventually, someone came across a fair-sized enclosure, a type of pen often used by people to control their animals' penchant for wandering off, I guess, and within it was a 'bed' comprised of old blankets. It was obviously where the dog's owners had placed and left the dog, in an out-of-the-way area of the ravine. And it seemed just as obvious that the dog would return there for comfort as night fell, to sleep away the dark hours so that when dawn broke he would begin roaming the ravine once again.

Since the dog seemed to make no effort to find his way back to wherever his home might have been, it could be concluded that he had been driven quite a far distance from home. Alternately, that 'home' did not represent a haven and tender care, and the dog was resigned to living on its own. Fears arose that the dog would starve, and people began leaving out food for it to take, and eventually someone began to leave food at the very place where the pen with its bed was.

A resolutely determined pair in their 50s, who had a dog of their own named Sam set out to calm the dog's fears and earn its trust. Placing food out regularly where the dog slept, and having the dog on occasion see them do this eventually led to the dog's cautious trust. The two were able to convince the dog he could approach them. And that's when the dog's lonely vigil stopped and it became a cherished pet.

Both of those dogs died some years back. Occasionally we would see the man of the pair walking the ravine. He told us though his wife wanted them to adopt another dog, he wouldn't have it. His heart had broken when the two dogs had died, one following on the other, and he was not prepared to revisit that pain.

We saw them both yesterday, in the ravine. It was a windy, sunny and very cold day. Each of them was holding a very large white plastic bag, and stooping to scoop up dog waste left behind on the trails by owners who saw no need to clean up after their dogs. They're casual about this, their dedication to committing to such a public good, shrugging their shoulders and saying they were accustomed to doing it while they had their dogs, so this was just a continuation of sorts.