Rachel was one of Riley's ravine friends. They enjoyed seeing one another and romping on occasion in the ravine together. Rachel, as a middling-sized terrier was much larger than our little Riley, a toy poodle, but their size differential made no difference to them. Button was fairly indifferent to the presence of other dogs, unlike her puppy phase when she enjoyed racing all comers and usually beat them by a mile.

Rachel was the unfortunate product of a mixture of breeds, likely enough of a mix that her genes got somewhat confused, as testified to by the final product. Unlike dogs with identifiable heritage, say a mix of two breeds, whose outcome leaned heavily in favour, physically and temperamentally toward one or the other, Rachel really was different. She resembled a werewolf in her physical presentation but her character was sweet and lovable. And she certainly was loved by those who lived with her.

She, like Button and Riley, have gone on to another world we know nothing of. We despair at their deaths but this is nature writ large: life and death. We hadn't seen her owner in quite awhile, but yesterday on our ravine round, we came across her. And with her was a dog we'd never before seen. A combination of beagle and basset hound, a very friendly dog. Five years old, we were told, and being temporarily fostered.

Her family had lost their home, and were living in a shelter. A dog rescue group that specializes in temporarily housing family pets when the family is unable to keep them where they have been assigned to live while in dire financial straits operates a foster group, and our ravine friend had responded.

I asked if she mightn't find it difficult to eventually surrender Dexter, after having lived with him for quite a few months, but she laughed, and she said it would be no problem. She hadn't decided whether to bring another companion dog into her home, and this, as a stop-gap fulfilled a need, while at the same time performing a personal duty of compassionate aid to those in distress.

There are the unseen people in this city who fall upon personal misfortune and need a helping hand to help them survive that misfortune and move on with hope toward a better future. This city, living in an unforgivingly miserable winter climate for the homeless, for those dispossessed of their health, their homes, their livelihood, their belongings, need help desperately. Society has an obligation to respond to their needs.

That there are those within society who offer their help in ways other than tax-supported organized civil social welfare can provide, speaks to the quality of those who live in that society, able and willing and happy to extend that aid to the truly helpless animals who also suffer when extenuating circumstances arise to complicate the trajectory of peoples' lives.

On top of and added to the social welfare agencies tasked to give assistance to those in our community who fall on hard times there is the added need to welcome, settle and comfort refugees from parts of Africa who have suffered through great social upheavals caused by war and poverty, and those that have arisen as a result of incessant conflict in the Middle East.

Rising to the occasion is complex and burdensome, but a human necessity.