April 2025 – Contributed by a Shelter and Community Volunteer

A Life Behind a Kennel Card

You don’t always notice grace in the shelter. It’s easy to miss in a place built around urgency—dogs barking, staff rushing, the low hum of desperation beneath even the best efforts. But sometimes, in the middle of it all, there’s a dog like Martina.

She doesn’t push to the front of the kennel. She waits. She watches. And when the gate opens, she rises—not in chaos, but with calm. You clip the leash, and her energy shifts. Alert, focused, quiet. A Malinois who doesn’t need to be told what to do—she’s already read the room.

Martina moves like a practiced hand brushing canvas: smooth, deliberate, alive with intention. Her coat fades from honey brown to charcoal gray, with black sweeping across her face like a velvet dusk. And when you walk, she mirrors. She is a right-side loyalist. Eye contact. A syncopated rhythm of trust.

And then—when you settle into the grass—she does too. The tension unwinds. Her tongue flops out sideways. She grins like a kid who finally got to recess. It’s in that moment you realize: this isn’t just a trained dog. This is a dog who knows what peace feels like. And still believes in it.

Grace, under pressure. That’s Martina.

🐾 She’s waiting. Not for just anyone—but maybe for you.

Come meet her. Take a walk. Let her show you what it means to be calm in a world of noise. Let’s get her home. See more https://24petconnect.com/CCASDAvailablePets/Details/CCST/A1030820