While filming a segment on tips for hiking with your dog--that's my dog, YukiYu, right there--I met a CCSD principal and her adorable dog, Cortez.

How these two ended up together will warm your heart.

♪♪ -Go Cortez, go!

-Before Cortez, the fetch-loving dog, became the popular unofficial mascot at Cortez Elementary School... -I have a special guest.

Is it okay if we interrupt?

-Yeah.

-Okay.

Come on in, Cortez.

-...this adorable pup was once a stray dog.

-A teacher at the time, Dawn Rivera, she's now our assistant principal.... (Dawn Rivera) We're so happy you're with us now.

-...she sent me a text message with a photo of this little face peeking over the rocks and said, The dog is back.

She's in the parking lot.

She was in the corner, way down there.

-The scared pup, as luck would have it, was at the right place at the right time, surrounded by caring individuals.

And on that fateful day three years ago, Principal Lin Soriano became a proud foster fail.

(Lin Soriano) Well, I already have two dogs; but for the weekend, I will take her.

And then Monday we can sort this all out.

And then come Monday, she had already shown the love, and I knew already I could not, I could not give her to anyone.

-Cortez has not only become part of Miss Soriano's family at home, but also her family at school.

-It's Cortez.

-You knew that.

Just like this school, huh?

The kids love it.

They start to tell me their stories, We just got a puppy.

We found a dog.

I got another dog.

I want a dog.

My mom won't let me have a dog.

I hear all sorts of things.

So it does bring a little joy into school, into learning.

And they really get to connect with the school and they connect with the dog and they connect with me.

It's fantastic.

I absolutely love it.

-This fashionable pup even has her own school badge and is included in the yearbook wearing her pearls, of course.

-More a keepsake for the kids, because they go to that page, they ask at the end of the year if she would autograph their yearbook.

So I do.

I put a little paw print.

I put her name, because she's the star of the show here.

-And this superstar does more than bring a little joy to both students and staff.

-The staff absolutely love her.

They-- Sometimes I think she gets more Christmas presents than I do.

-For students like 5th grader Mi'Shaun Alexis, Cortez is also teaching them some valuable life lessons.

(Mi'Shaun Alexis) She just makes me feel like respectful, responsible, and safe.

What I feel when I see her in school is that we're going to have a good day.

Go Cortez, go!

(in unison) We love you, Cortez!

-It's hard not to love Cortez.

Cortez, by the way, also takes part in community events like National Night Out.

She's always a big hit.

And, as we learned in that segment, Principal Soriano loves to dress Cortez up in cute costumes.

So adorable.

You can catch the Tales from the Trails segment featuring my dog, YukiYu, and Cortez on our Vegas PBS YouTube page.