The sweetest, most loving dog I've ever had was a stolen dog. I wasn't the thief, but I did receive the stolen goods. A friend went to the mall one cold January evening, and on her way through the parking lot heard whimpering from a car she was passing. She looked inside the old beat-up car and saw a tiny puppy on the back seat, shivering in the cold. She went on into the mall and visited several stores, asking everywhere if anyone had left a puppy in a car. She made her purchases and returned, checked, and the car and puppy were still there. She located a mall security guard and told him about it and that the puppy shouldn't be left in the cold. His response was, "That's why dogs have fur," and he refused to do anything about it. She went back to the car, tried the door, found it unlocked. She scooped up the shivering puppy and put it inside her jacket. She lived in a small apartment and couldn't have pets, so she brought the dog directly to me from the mall. We soon discovered that the poor little thing was covered with fleas. We bathed and fed her and after my friend left, I spent hours with alcohol and cotton balls killing fleas that survived the bathing. What I had thought was a black dog, turned out to be a beautiful brindle. The next day I took her to the vet. He estimated she was no more than six weeks old and said that she was healthy but anemic from all the fleas, and that by taking her, my friend had saved her life, as a flea infestation that heavy on such a young pup would have killed her. I named her Belana, had her for just under 17 years, a long life for a large dog. She turned out to be a pit bull or pit mix, and although timid, she was loving and gentle, got along well with my other dogs, loved to play, and loved to snuggle next to me at night. I still miss her, though I have other wonderful dogs, and one, like Belana, is a loving, sweet-natured, gentle pit bull. Thanks to Belana, I have no hesitation in adopting rescues of that breed.

Elenora Sabin
SAINT PETERSBURG, FL