The dog who was meant for us

We adopted Bella in November. I had taken my cats to the vet for their annual checkup and mentioned to the doctor that we were thinking about getting a dog. I asked if he had breeds to suggest. I said we wanted a dog that wasn't too big, didn't shed too much, wasn't hyper. He called down the hallway from the examination room, "Can you get Faith for me?" I assumed Faith was a clinic employee who knew a lot about dogs. Actually, Faith was a 12-week-old pup who was about the prettiest thing I'd ever seen.

We couldn't really guess about what kind of dog she was. Part boxer for sure. After we brought her home, Dave speculated that she might be part pitbull, given the circumstances of her rescue. Faith had been discovered in a vacant apartment with her brother and sister, all starving to death. They were brought to the vet's office in a plastic dish tub. Little brother died, despite heroic efforts to save him, but Faith and her sister, Hope, survived and thrived under excellent care at the clinic. Hope was adopted a few days before we found Faith. She is now "Molly," and we rechristened Faith "Bella."

We are frequently asked if Bella is part pitbull, and our vet has told us that she probably is. We take her to doggy daycare a couple times a week, and when we went to pick her up after her first day there, the workers there said she sure looked like a pitbull to them, and that they don't usually accept pitbulls or pitbull mixes. However, they were willing to have her there since she had been so sweet and playful her first day. She's been sweet and playful every day she's been there since.

We're working hard to socialize her with other dogs and people. She plays at daycare twice a week. She loves it. Her tail gets to wagging so hard when I drop her off you'd think it could fly right off.

Bella is six months old. We are delighted with this dog. She is smart, devoted and personable, not to mention pretty. Not the image I've always harbored of pitbulls, I gotta say. We never would have predicted we would ever own a pitbull or a pitbull mix. But she's the pup who was meant for us.