I first saw Lady at the Belen Train Yard under a car, lonely, scared, and shy. I began feeding her each day when I went to work, and made sure she had some water to drink. Still, she trusted nobody, not even me. This went on for almost a month. One day, though, Lady let me pet her for a brief second before running away. I smiled inside, because I felt I was beginning to win her trust. After about six weeks, I came back to work from a day off and Lady ran up to me, happy, it seemed, to greet me again. By now, I knew I'd won her trust, but she still needed more work. I continued to feed and water her; still continued to talk to her, and at about the seventh week, I was finally able to pet and stroke her for moments at a time. I'd call her and she'd come to me. At the end of that second month, I felt she was ready to come and live with me at Los Chavez Animal Rescue. She allowed me to place her in a carrying cage and I drove her home with me. When I let Lady out into the front yard, she immediately began tearing around the yard, sniffing everything in sight, playing with my dog Teff, and eating and drinking to her heart's content. The next day, I took Lady to the vet for a physical, was told that she was fine, but her behavior indicated that she'd been beaten in the past, possibly for a long time. I took her home again after that and let her continue to get familiar with her new surroundings. I called a dog trainer named Ernie to come over and work with Lady (she was still shy and fearful of strangers, and I wanted to make her more comfortable with people, and to make her understand she wouldn't be hurt again). This way, she would become "adoptable." On July 27, 2001 I took Lady to the vet for her vaccinations, along with Teff, and she was vaccinated and tested for heartworms (because another dog I rescued, a Shar-pei named Chocolate, did test positive for these heartworms). I was told by the vet that Teff was negative for heartworms, and my heart soared. But then, the bad news. Although Teff was fine, Lady wasn't quite so lucky - sadly, the vet burst my bubble when she told me Lady DID test positive for heartworms. The vet saw me physically slump, almost in tears at this news - the vet grabbed me and hugged me (she DID cry, a little). This news - two dogs with heartworms in two days, was almost more than I could bear, and I vowed that this would not hinder Lady's chances to find a good home. So, between the vet and myself, we immediately began Lady's heartworm pills - thank God that it hadn't become lethal yet. Lady still needed heartworm treatment, but this preventive measure is only the first step. Thanks to IMOM, we were able to get her heartworm treatment and is now here at the shelter, hoping for a new and loving home.