"I've always wanted a dog of my own," Tony Morgan said. "When I was a kid we adopted stray dogs. But I never got to pick out my own dog." Tony, a greenskeeper by day and law enforcement student by night, loves animals. His whole family does. That's why they took in abandoned dogs.

Tony loved these dogs. But he had this dream of choosing his very own canine companion. Four years ago he did just that, but it wasn't entirely his choice. His German Shepherd companion chose him. "He just kept following me around," Tony said.

Finally, Tony gave in and took a closer look. What he saw was an adorable puppy that was already in love with him. So Tony said yes, and they've been inseparable ever since. And by inseparable, we mean it! Tony and Luke do everything together. During the holiday season, Tony and Luke got in the car and cruised around the neighborhood to see the holiday lights. They hike, walk downtown together, watch the sunset, go to the beach, and yes, Luke accompanies Tony to the grocery store to buy dog food. However, Luke has to wait in the car.

"Luke is my kid until I have a human kid," Tony told us. And just like a kid, a dog is a big commitment, one that Tony doesn't take lightly. When Luke became lethargic, he took him to the vet's. It took awhile but it was finally determined that Luke had allergies-a lot of them. Luke tested positive to an incredible 50 out of 75 allergens, including grass and cotton.

The allergy testing alone was $1200. And with allergy shots every 10 days, the yearly bill is $600. Then Luke jumped over an iron-spired fence, nicking his bowel. Within a few hours, a large portion of his bowel was literally on Tony's floor. That meant emergency surgery and another $2800 in veterinary care.

Tony's commitment was tested once again when a snake bit Luke this year. Running and playing in a local pasture with Tony, Luke suddenly yelped loudly, then ran back to Tony's truck ready to go home. Initially, Tony couldn't find anything wrong with his dog. But the next morning, he found Luke lying on the floor, his leg bloody and swollen. Tony rushed him to the emergency veterinary clinic. They gave Luke some medication to keep him comfortable. But the following day, Tony took Luke to Westwood Animal Hospital where Dr. Diane Burhman confirmed the snakebite.

She treated Luke, wrapped his leg, and placed an e-collar around his neck. Relieved, Tony kept Luke at home while he headed off to work the following day. But when he came home that evening, what he saw looked like a clip from a B grade horror film.

In spite of medications, the injury had been so painful for Luke that he had torn off his e-collar and ripped through his bandages. From his paw to his shoulder, Luke had chewed his injured leg right down to the bone, leaving very little meat on it.

Horrified, Tony rushed Luke back to Westwood. Overcome with fear, he said, "Dr. Diane calmed me down, then she treated Luke. And the news wasn't good. "The wound was heinous," Dr. Burhman said. There was a very good chance that Luke would lose his leg.

Wisely, Dr. Burhman did not dwell on that with Tony. He was so upset she focused his attention on preventing Luke from re-injuring his potentially deadly wound. Tony and his family took stronger precautions with Luke this time around.

He was more closely supervised and a product called Yuck was sprayed on his bandage to discourage him from chewing through it. Twice weekly bandage changes were required at the vet's office, and Tony faithfully continued these visits.

After weeks of dedicated care, both at home and at Westwood, Dr. Burhman was able to confidently tell Tony that his dog would not lose his leg. That was the good news. But she was afraid Luke would need skin grafts. That would mean thousands of dollars for treatment.

Tony was frantic. His funds were depleted. Luke's medical expenses had exhausted his reserves. He wasn't sure what he would do. That's when Dr. Burhman recommended Tony call The Mosby Foundation. Although Tony was a big fan of the foundation, he had never considered calling us for help.

As we talked with Tony about his dog, his commitment touched us deeply. It was obvious he had gone several extra miles with Luke, working hard to pay for all of his dog's expenses on his own. But now he needed some financial assistance, and we were glad to do so.

And the news got better. As the weeks progressed, Luke's leg responded to treatment so well, Dr. Buhrman recommended cold laser therapy instead of the more expensive skin grafting. With seven treatments and a little bit of divine intervention, the therapy worked!

It won't be much longer before Luke will be free of his bandages and, miraculously, he'll run and play again. But this story is as much about Tony as it is about Luke. Yes, we were glad to offer Tony financial assistance with his dog.

But as Dr. Buhrman at Westwood Animal Hospital told us, "Tony is so sweet and so polite. It's not unusual for people to react to a stressful situation by lashing out, saying things they don't really mean. We understand that. But Tony never did."

For us, Tony gave The Mosby Foundation the gift of commitment and love. In the face of adversity, Tony held on. He didn't give up. And that was the joy for both the foundation and the staff at Westwood Animal Hospital. "I think Mosby lives on through Luke and the other dogs this organization has helped," he told us.

And he's right. In the meantime, Luke and Tony will share another season together, just as snowflakes dust the ground in the Shenandoah Valley. Both will breathe the cold air, and run and play together under a winter sky, bound by a love that lives on because of a dog named Mosby.