We were already late, a little lost ourselves, when we rescued a frightened corgi from the freeway today-

Its fur was damp, and smelled of dog. Its rabies tag was four years old. Its left front paw was torn. We found a rural vet clinic whose staff awkwardly accepted the dog so we could continue down the road.

We were now even more late, tracing the same stretch of highway a third time, but these inconveniences became of little concern because we felt certain we'd had our priorities straight.