Grant stepped out slowly, pulling his jacket tighter against the wind.
“Well, hey there,” he said in a calm voice.
The shepherd lifted his head slightly.
For a moment Grant expected the usual response animals give strangers—either fear or protective aggression.
Instead the dog simply watched him with tired eyes.
Then something strange happened.
The dog lifted one paw slightly from the frozen ground and held it there, not in threat and not in greeting, but almost like a silent signal asking him to pause.
Grant stopped walking.
In nearly two decades on the highway he had seen plenty of abandoned pets, frightened animals, and loyal companions guarding injured owners.
But he had never seen a gesture like that.
“Alright,” Grant murmured softly. “I’ll take it slow.”
