To the editor:

This letter is long overdue. My name is Chumley and I am a 5-year-old Bassador (that’s a mix between a Lab and a basset hound). When I was 3 months old, I was adopted from the Lawrence Humane Society. I was feeling a little down on my luck because I had lost my family, but the folks at the shelter kept me clean, fed, and even played with me every day. It was tough living in a small little cage, but that didn’t last for long.

Since I was adopted, my parents, my slobbery brother Hutch (a yellow Lab), and I drove all the way to Alaska to live. We have been here for almost three years, and I get to go camping, hiking and swimming in the some of the most beautiful places in the world. I must admit that it does get tough in the winter. I mean you can’t really “go” when the snow covers your head.

Just a few weeks ago my new baby brother (he’s a human) was born and soon he will be big enough to play with me and scratch my ears. I have a pretty good life here in Alaska, and it’s all thanks to those nice people back in Kansas who took care of me and kept me healthy even when the odds were against me. Thank you, Lawrence Humane Society; you saved my life.

Erin Patterson-Sexson is from Anchorage, Alaska.