He didn't bark. But when I kneeled by his kennel, he came up and sniffed my hand. He lay down on the other side, and I reached under and touched his toes.

A few days after that, I took him out behind the shelter, where he promptly picked up a stick and lay in the grass, chewing contentedly by my side.

Travis is 2 now. He still loves sticks. But now he loves to swim after them. His strokes guide him like a torpedo to the floating toy as I shout "Yes!" from the banks.

Then he swims back, drops it more or less in front of me and looks up. And my heart melts all over again.

I didn't set out to get a lab-hound (and maybe a little pit?) mix when I visited the Durham County Animal Shelter. But the calm, black puppy with the white patch on his chest kept drawing me back.

So I'm thrilled we start a new column, "Ask the APS," today that may help connect more people with animals that need homes.

The shelter took in 7,154 animals in 2008, outreach director Simon Woodrup told me as we sat in his office two weeks ago. Of those, 2,386 were brought in by their owners.

That's where Woodrup and this column will focus. The more the APS can learn about the reasons people give up animals, the better it can target its efforts and reduce the number of animals euthanized. Expect future columns to emphasize the importance of sterilizing your pet, choosing a dog or cat from a shelter and responsible pet ownership. We hope you send your questions about these and other topics to volunteer@apsofdurham.org

"There's a reality here that's not always pretty, and I think people need to know that," Woodrup said. "But we're constantly trying to get our message out."

"People have to understand that adopting an animal is for life."