Consider taking a chance on a dog that comes with challenges. It just might be the best thing you ever do.

Breeders often market their businesses as farms, giving the idea that the dogs run free, play all day, and are doted on by the breeders. The reality is far different.

I was beginning to learn just how mighty Vida was. She’d make two steps of forward progress, and then end up a step back. But she persisted in everything she aimed to do.

In puppy mills, dogs are identified by a number, not a name. They’re just a business commodity, and only have value if they produce more than they cost.

Volunteers specially trained to work with fearful dogs spent time with her each day, some even picking up extra shifts to help her. Though her odds of euthanasia were high, no one wanted to give up on her. There was just something about her that touched your soul.

The terrified dog paused, and with every ounce of courage she had, took a single step forward. It was her way of saying “Please, don’t give up on me.”