I was at IKEA one day buying some random items (which I don't need) when I came across a large stuffed toy dog which I thought would make the perfect chew toy for Courage. 

Of course my sister told me that Courage would destroy the toy in a matter of minutes but I honestly didn't care - it was a small price to pay for her happiness. 

On our drive home, I started collecting the water bottles that I littered my sister's car with and place them in a bag to throw them in a large recycling container near the CIO. 

By the time we got there it was already dark and we were late for dinner. As I got out of the car a small tiny movement underneath a pile of bottles near the large container stopped my heart. 

I froze in my place because as a reporter I was so accustomed to seeing rats, mice, rodents and snakes during my field visits that I thought this must be one of those creatures and I had to be careful. 

But then I saw a tiny paw. 

My heart skipped a beat and I called out to my sister who walked over to the bottles slowly and pulled out the tiniest looking puppy from underneath. 

He looked like a little potato. 

We took him home, fed him and gave him water and my sister named him Kenai (although to me he looks like a little potato) and we took him up to my sister's room where she made a bed for him. 

Through our whole new adventure, I completely forgot about the stuffed toy dog that I had bought Courage which I dropped on the floor as we carried Kenai to my sister's room. 

While we were placing blankets on the floor for little Kenai to sleep on, he pulled the toy under my sister's bed, cuddled and fell asleep immediatly. 

It was a heart-warming scene and a gut-wrenching one at the same time. Little potato finally found the safety and love that he deserved but at the same time he was an orphan little puppy who endured tremendous suffering until that point was reached.