It’s hard to believe I’ll turn 4 years old this month. It’s true that time flies when you’re having fun.

It’s also hard to believe I’ve been the mascot for my nonprofit group Central Georgia CARES for my entire life. That has real­ly been an adventure. I never know what job or contest they’ll have me in next.

There was another pivotal point in my life that took place when I was not yet 2 years old. It was a historic event not only for CARES and me but also maybe even for the entire newspaper industry.

You see, unbeknownst to me, The Telegraph heard about me. Apparently they observed what CARES and I were doing in the community and invited me to become a weekly columnist.

A poor little boy from very humble beginnings, who started life as a frozen puppy, was asked to write every week in a well-respected newspaper with a huge circulation and be able to showcase furbabies available for adoption through rescue groups and shelters, too.

This was huge. To say I was flabbergasted is quite an understatement.

So for more than half of my life, I’ve been a weekly columnist in The Telegraph. And I’m perhaps the only canine columnist that writes for a newspaper.

Because of my column in The Telegraph, countless animals have been saved from certain death. Lost animals have been reunited with their families. People have done random acts of rescue for animals after reading my column.

And none of this would have been possible without Mr. George McCanless, The Telegraph’s publisher. Mr. McCanless blazed some trails in the newspaper world by having a dog write for the paper.

The truth is he went out on a limb for the animals by offering me a spot in The Telegraph. But Mr. McCanless sincerely loves animals and was willing to do anything to help them. And help them he did.

We can track the positive occurrences that benefit animals as a direct result of my column. The most recent success story was Biscuit, the blind basenji who was adopted after her new family read my article about her situation.

The only reason Biscuit’s and many other animals’ stories have had happy endings is because Mr. McCanless gave me a platform to communicate with the public. He’s been a champion for animals, and we’ve been the recipients of his generosity and creativity.

But Mr. McCanless will soon be leaving The Telegraph. He’ll be starting a new chapter in his life when he begins as the leader of the United Way of Central Georgia.

So on behalf of CARES, I want to thank you, Mr. McCanless -- a real life hero to animals -- for helping so many have a chance at life and love.

Send questions for AC Pup to acpup247@yahoo.com. Visit www.acpup.com or see his Facebook page.