Freckles, The Wonder Dog

She may look like an old hound dog, throwing her head back and baying, but Freckles is much more than that.

Last summer, we hosted a family with a four year old son who, for no reason the family knew, was terrified of dogs. We arranged to let our canines outdoors only during the part of the day that would inconvenience the family the least.

The next morning, I let the dogs out for a run. When I went to call them in for the day, I saw the mom and her son outside. The two of them were laughing as together they rubbed a delighted Freckles' tummy. "I petted her while he watched from the window," the mom explained, "and he got to courage to pet her himself. We're so grateful to Freckles. She's a therapy dog!"

We adopted Freckles when she was about a year old. She was hungry, scared, sick, and showed clear signs of abuse. But it's amazing what basic vet care, three squares-a-day and love can do for an animal.

They might not be the prettiest or trendiest of pets, but you never know: that bedraggled cat or dog you rescue might just turn out to be a Wonder Animal.