BROOKLYN, Ohio -- While volunteering at the Brooklyn Animal Shelter on Memphis Avenue, I had the opportunity to care for many cats and dogs and work with many wonderful volunteers. During this time, I was fortunate to foster a few dogs. This is how I met Sophie -- she is my absolute best friend.

Sophie turned 15 on March 1, but you would never know it. The picture accompanying this story was taken on her 15th birthday, with her party hat on. I sang to her, and she just sat there and looked at me.

Sophie is a Jack Russell terrier-beagle mix. She loves to chase rabbits. She will chase them to the edge of our property and stop dead at the boundary, never leaving our yard. It’s as if she is telling them “get out of my yard.”

She is my little shadow. She follows me all over the house, even into the basement to wash clothes. She just lies down and waits for me. My husband calls her the million-dollar dog, as she has had a few injuries that cost us a bundle in veterinarian bills. But we love her just the same. We don’t know what we would do without her. She’s the best!

Nancy Kofron,

Brooklyn