He thought he was checking out illegal logging in the Idaho mountains-until he found a German Shepherd locked in a frozen cage, staring at him like it had been waiting for exactly one person

the difference between a stray and an animal with a job burned into his nervous system. Even half-frozen, the Shepherd tracked him with discipline. Black-and-tan coat crusted with frost. One front leg held wrong. Collar mark worn pale around the neck. No barking, no panic, no waste of strength.