I have a new best friend. His name is Gus and he appears to be a miniature schnauzer, terrier, dachshund mix of some sort with a dash of shih-tzu. His right ear stands up perfectly while his left droops down. He has a slight under bite and exceedingly intelligent brown eyes.

After finding him by the side of the road it became clear that the poor guy had been mistreated. He cowered if he saw me reaching down to pet his head. He kept to himself and tended to hide underneath things for protection, yet he got along with other dogs triple his size without issue. After a few days he developed a pronounced gimp. He was favoring his front right leg.

The vet took an x-ray and it turns out that his previous owners either broke his leg or Gus did it somehow. The bad part, aside from imagining someone harming such an adorable little mutt, was that they failed to have his leg set. Because of this the bones in his right leg have grown disproportionately causing an early case of arthritis as well as a permanent gimp.

Despite all of this, Gus is an amazing dog. Now that he knows he is safe and loved he jumps, runs and plays like any other dog. If only humans could forget such horrible mistreatment the way dogs do.

Gus has become a very welcome addition to my family. He sleeps next to me on his back, legs splayed with his neck turned at an almost impossible angle, resting alongside his shoulders. He snores lightly in his sleep and seems as slow to wake as I am. I find no greater joy than rolling over in the morning and being met with his half-hooded eyes and a morning lick on my nose.