Rescue Dogs Charity Category 3rd Place Winner Kaylee Greer, USA
“Joshua sat behind the bars of his cold cage at the shelter wondering why people kept passing him by. Every day, he held out hope, wagging his tail furiously as people would peer in curiously at him, and then move on. The hours turned into days, the days turned into months, and still, Joshua waited. For 8 long months, he curled up on that concrete floor, dreaming of the love of a family. Wasn’t he a good boy just like all the others? Then, one morning, on a day that started just like all the ones that came before, Joshua wagged his trademark tail wag right into the heart of passing stranger and suddenly, his story changed forever. That passing stranger was me, and in that moment, my heart was filled with more love, kindness and purity than I had ever known before. Joshua came home with me later that day and officially became a part of my family. The next morning after adopting him - only 12 hours or so since he left his well-worn place in his shelter cage - we went on our first walk together as human and dog, and I was lucky enough to capture this moment. This is the definitive, tiny slice of time in which the joy can only be measured by the size of his perfect smile. A moment in which Joshua realized that he had finally found freedom. A moment in which he had finally been given the second chance at life that he so deserved. A moment in which Joshua discovered he was finally home.”