Instant Karma?

I just had, what I'd call, an unusual experience; at least for me it was. Let's preface this by saying that I only (generally) give to animal charities, I don't even make eye contact with "pan-handlers", and I generally avoid the Salvation Army person ringing the bell. It's not that I'm not a deeply compassionate person, I just don't have a lot of money, especially at the moment, and the "save the animals" cause has always been #1 in my book. As far as people asking for money on the streets, I'm just uncomfortable being accosted, so I try to avoid the situation altogether. Well, I just ran into the grocery store for a couple of items today. When I came out, I saw this large black dog, with a little white on it's face. See? That's all I saw - just the dog. Then I wondered if it was waiting for someone, if someone was with it, etc. Then I saw it was on a leash and a woman was sitting down holding the other end. Right about the time I noticed this, I man walked right up to me. He said, "I'm so sorry to bother you, but we are trying to get to Fayeteville NC, we have our dog with us, our car is all packed, and we need money for gas." Normally, I would have not even reacted, but for one thing - The Dog, and there was something genuine about this guy's plea. I don't know what it was. My own personal philosophy is that life is too short to talk to people you don't want to talk to. Enough strangers coming up to you in a bar when you are clearly talking to someone else, and that about does it. Well again, for me anyway. I don't trust most people too much, and I don't even really trust my own instincts, reactions, or first impressions most of the time. Sad, but true. But there was something in this man's eye's, and I have no idea what. I wasn't uncomfortable talking to him, and for what ever reason I totally believed him. He said, "I hate to ask, but if you have anything. Even a dollar. Anything will help." I literally had one dollar in my purse, and I told him that, saying, "I'm happy to give you my last dollar, just make sure the dog has water!" He said, "Oh, he's got bowl right here." They were sitting in the shade and there was a large metal bowl of water for the dog. Maybe my whole reaction was to the dog, and the "gut feeling" that these people, no matter how broke they were, how hot it was, how important the family member was to them who'd died - these people - were putting their animal first, like they were all in it together. I know this seems really odd, and I can't explain it myself. They were obviously not drunk or on drugs, they seemed sincere that they hated to ask for anything, and they seemed so genuinely thankful for the dollar. I'm not usually a "sucker" when it comes to "hard luck" stories (unless, of course, there's an animal involved, in which case you won't find a bigger sucker!). The whole experience just seemed so out-of-place, that I didn't even think twice about it. This is not an area where you'd see anyone who is homeless, or outside a store asking for money. I wished them good luck and went on my way, and the three of them sat there, smiling, and saying "Thank you", the old black dog even wagging his tail when I pet him on the head.