As I write this column, Fargo, an eight-year-old black Lab male, sits at my side, head in my lap. He's positioned that head with the precision one might expect from an experienced dog, a true connoisseur of good ear scratches. He achieves the desired result, as I continue typing, clumsily, with the unoccupied hand.

Fargo was found by one of our volunteers in a shelter. He was said to be a stray. He was also dirty, tick-ridden, and ill-nourished. After cleaning him up, we took him to our vet for removal of a large growth on his right foreleg. The tumor was about half the size of a golf ball. The biopsy brought heart-stopping news: the growth was malignant and of an especially aggressive type.

That's why Fargo is a long-term foster. Six months are needed for a reasonable assurance of a cure. So far, so good—x-rays taken at two months are clean.

Meanwhile, Fargo fits into the circus we call home tidily and gracefully. Our three-year-old spoiled brats, Tristam and Dinah, and our mutt Rascal have accepted him as a full-fledged family member. He's well behaved, good-natured, and loves human attention.

His presence in our household raises a question lacking a reasonable answer: how could anyone give up such a dog? He bears a tattoo, so a concerned owner could have easily tracked him down. More than likely, he was consciously dumped. I can only speculate as to cause: bitter divorce, perhaps? Whatever the cause, someone considered Fargo an inconvenience.

Dogs are, like it or not, a dependent species. They depend on us to provide sustenance, stability, and love. When we take them into our homes, we take on the obligation of tending to them and caring for them. In return, we are blessed beyond measure with unalloyed devotion, companionship and joy. I can't guess why anyone would willingly give all that up.

Fargo's stately presence and polite, loving behavior raise another question—why don't more people wish to adopt seasoned Labs like him? A young dog is without question a joy, but a handful, demanding near-full-time attention and training. Don't let me discourage you if your heart is set on youth. But think a moment and consider an older Lab. Such a dog usually fits into a given household almost instantly and generally requires little training. He or she may just capture your heart.

As for Fargo, pray with me that his luck will hold and his six-month x-rays will be clear. If they are, and you want him, your own luck may have run out. He might have already found his home for life.