Ambassador. Mentor. Teacher.

Salvador was many things to many people, but to Ulla Pedersen, he exemplified the mission of Kindred Spirits: compassionate caring.

"He really was what we're about," Pedersen said. "I, and everyone here, sometimes fails at what we try to do, but he never failed. He was joy, joy, joy."

The elderly pit bull, crippled from years of abuse, died peacefully Aug. 21, after an almost endless stream of visitors paid their respects, cuddling up to him on a comfortable dog bed, many leaving with tears in their eyes. The last few months had been hard on the dog, Pedersen said, but thanks to Western and Eastern medicine and lots of love and affection, there's no doubt in her mind his end was peaceful.

"It feels so empty right now," she said. "But I really feel his spirit here. Of course, we miss him, but I think of him running free, not so tied down to his mangled body."

Always wearing a comfortable yellow bandanna around his neck and a huge smile, Salvador was the longtime welcoming beacon at the sanctuary, a healing place near the Lone Butte General Store on N.M. 14 that offers hospice and elder care to dogs, horses and poultry.

Pedersen was never sure of Salvador's age, and she settled on 14 a couple of years ago, but stopped counting. In many people's minds, he was an ageless soul, here to offer his wisdom to anyone who cared to notice.

"This world is a sadder place without Salvador," said Tom Alexander, a Kindred Spirits board member and the humane education coordinator for the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society. "He'll be missed by so many people."

Alexander said he often uses Salvador's story to children, as an example of how someone so mistreated for much of his life could put that behind him and offer loving kindness in return. It was a lesson that resonated with many.

"He's also a testament to the kind of place that Kindred Spirits is," he said. "The power of that place."

Salvador found his way to Kindred Spirits more than five years ago, Pedersen said. The crippled dog was dropped off at the Santa Fe shelter, and, although his history will likely never be known, he was probably used as a "bait dog" for a dog-fighting ring.

X-rays showed numerous fractured bones that had healed and then were broken again. He was mangled, scarred and his hips were dislocated. He couldn't walk.

Salvador came to the sanctuary late one May, and for months volunteers had to transport him on a stretcher. He couldn't use a dog sling, Pedersen said.

He was frightened and withdrawn, but after few weeks he began to relax. In addition to Western medication, Salvador received acupuncture, lots of massage and reassurance that he was there to stay.

"Once he felt that he was safe, it made a huge difference," she said. "I remember the first time he smiled, there was this joy that came from him."

After months of healing, Salvador began to try to walk, at first using his front legs to pull him to different areas of the sanctuary, dragging his hind legs. Eventually, he regained mobility, but it was always a precarious balance.

He learned to love going for drives and trips. He joined Pedersen's other longtime resident, Sammy, for journeys to the Grand Canyon and her annual spring pilgrimage to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. He was there last spring, although it was tough on him, she said.

She credits acupuncture and Chinese herbs with extending his life and easing his pains. It seemed as if he was regressing to a youthful puppy in dying, his sense of joy intensifying. He was a dog who always enjoyed the gift of each day. His favorite walk was to the barn to see what new things had grown.

But in the end, old age and the record of injuries caught up with him. In the past few weeks, he could no longer walk and his organs began failing. Pedersen said she is thankful for his many special friends who stopped by to comfort him in his last days. When the time came for him to receive help in passing, he was ready, she said.

"He had this heart energy," Pedersen said. "People were drawn to him. I also think he was a teacher to the new ones that come here. He would tell them the rules and regulations, how we get along."

Salvador embodied the sanctuary's core message of unconditional love, she said. He came damaged, but somewhere deep inside he was able to rekindle his heart and blossomed.

"He was a tremendous teacher," Pedersen said. "Whenever I had a hard day, I would think of Salvador. If he could keep smiling and make it through another day, then I knew I could too."