Adopter Name

Misty Riley

Rescue Dog's Name

Miss Pipp

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

I walked into work one day and found 8 puppies in the bathtub. We had pulled them from a bad situation. They all clamored to the side of the tub to cover me in puppy kisses. Except for one. She just looked at me with her wide eyes.

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

I fell in love - hopelessly, irreversibly. Miss Pipp came into rescue at 7 weeks old. She weighed a little over a pound while all her siblings were 5lbs+. She had tapeworms, hookworms, roundworms, Giardia, flea anemia, hypothermia... you name it, she had it. (She did miss the parvo bullet though). The muscles of her stomach lining were so thin that she risked injury during normal activity. Her front leg bones are actually twisted causing her to walk funny. For 3 months I did around the clock feedings. Fluids twice a day. She went everywhere with me because she was being fed every 2 hours, sometimes through a syringe. Instead of carrying my wallet in my purse, I carried a Pipp. She didn't play. She slept. She would whine if I got out of sight and the only time she ever really walked around was to come to me. The first time she ever chewed on my finger and shook her head like it was a toy, I melted. I knew when she was well enough, there was no way I could part from her. She's been with me 8 months now.

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

Everyday, I look into her eyes and know that she is one of my saving graces. Being with her around the clock, watching her learn to be a puppy... it made the sleepless nights worth it. She has become a surrogate mommy to all the bottle babies that I bring in. Sometimes, it's not so much how she changed my life, but how she adds joy to everyday.