The Story, in Jenny Murray's own words:

So, we found her on Dec. 10, 2006, on Heidelberg Street at the Heidelberg Project. She was all bones, wandering down the sidewalk picking up rocks and things, trolling for food. She was so scrawny I was afraid to pick her up but I walked over to her and said, "Hey, puppy" and when she looked up at me with her little Dot face I just scooped her up, bones knocking, and put her in the car.

We stopped at a drugstore and Linda went in and bought a couple packages of that Cesar dog food (the purple one, I think it was Filet Mignon) and Dot ate all the food, half the packaging and at least one of Linda's fingers. She rode back to Ann Arbor on my lap -- she was so calm, so accepting -- it's really kind of funny in retrospect.

On the way we tossed around some names and settled on Dot, since we found her at the HP (polka dots are a major theme of the project, in case you didn't know). We took her to the animal hospital on Packard so they could give her a once-over. There was a woman there with her cat who had gotten some terrible diagnosis and as she was leaving she heard us explaining how we came upon Dot. She came over, crying, and held Dot's little face in her hands and wished her a happy life. It was very sweet -- I get all verklempt every time I think of that moment.

She was about 20 pounds underweight, a little dehydrated, but in remarkably good shape, all things considered. Alice (Liberson, of Dogma Catmantoo) gave her a pink-hooded cable-knit sweater to wear since she was so wee. She looked ridiculous in that sweater.

And, of course, she is now the pickiest eater I've ever encountered. But her life is all cat butts and bully sticks, and aside from that whole train thing (Dot lives near the railroad tracks. Trains are not her thing, neither is Velcro.) she's a happy girl.

Her favorite thing in the whole world is a peanut butter rawhide. But a bully is a close second. Or a spoonful of peanut butter will work just fine. Or some cheese. She's a cheddar girl. Tillamook, extra sharp.

Whatever her breed is, we call her a Detroit Special. She's retained some of her 313 'tude -- she's a sassy little girl, but she's also a cuddlebunny and very frequently sleeps with a stuffed pig.

What else do you want to know? She's a winter girl, she loves the snow. But if she has to suffer the heat, she does enjoy a good frolic in the lake or even in a mud puddle. She's a hardcore napper -- achieving the perfect nap is her life's work I think. Well, that, and the lifelong search for that perfect slice of bacon.

Do you have a dog with a great story? Drop me a line and let me know about your dog. We'll be featuring a new dog every week!

Amy Samida was a professional groomer prior to her career in veterinary nursing. She began training dogs as a child and has continued training and working with problem dogs through it all. Amy is now the owner of Naughty Dog Cafe in Ann Arbor. She can be reached at amy(at)naughtydogcafe(dot)com or 734-276-3522