Over that past few weeks, the Hendrick Boards’ team has been hard at work reaching out to develop relationships with animal rescues and shelters all over the nation. Given how close we are to Thanksgiving, the outreach prompted me to think about what I am most thankful for.

When I first sat down to write this, I admittedly started thinking about things I did not have and wishing I had more — a bigger house, a better car, the latest computer and material things I have always wanted.

I got frustrated and stopped writing until just a few days ago. I took William, my rescue dog and best friend, to a small dog shelter near my home. No visitors were there, most likely because it had been raining and cold. Then the most powerful thing happened.

One very big dog (possibly a pit-bull/rottweiler mix) was laying on the ground soaking wet and trembling with his head on his paws, his nose just peaking out from underneath the gate he was behind. He had wet marks streaming from both eyes; undoubtedly, he had been crying.

William walked over to the large dog, layed down nose to nose with him and both stared at each other — with only the wire fence separating the two. William licked the large shelter dog’s nose twice and sighed a little as he layed his head on the dog’s muzzle peaking underneath the fence. They both layed there on the wet cold concrete — William with has head resting on the large dog’s nose making a connection I could not believe I was seeing.

I was extremely embarrassed after just thinking about the material things I had wanted and now looking at this lost, confused, abandoned shelter dog finding just a little comfort from William laying by him. I cried. I felt so embarissed I was thinking about material things while all this dog wanted was love and a home. Its amazing how something so small, yet so strong, can really take EVERYTHING and put it right back into perspective for you.

So now I sit again writing about what I am thankful for. I am thankful for the love I feel every day from my best friend, William. I am thankful that I get to be part of the solution to animal cruelty and shelter animals. I am thankful to help give a voice to the millions of animals every year that don’t have a voice.

Even if I can help just one animal, I have made a real impact.  So when your thinking about what you are thankful for during this holiday season, remember the abandoned dog at the shelter, and the only thing he wanted and needed is love, a simple feeling, emotion and action that everyone can give.