Ria is the 70lb. dalmation we adopted from the Humane Society. When we found her there, she was a mess. She had been abused and was terrified of men. She barked at anybody who got near, and would wet herself when scared. The instant I saw her, I knew she was a very special dog and that I wanted to adopt her. I knelt outside her kennel for 45minutes talking to her softly before she would come close enough to be touched.

As we were finishing up the adoption paperwork, a 15-year-old girl named Victoria came up to us and thanked us for adopting her. Turns out Ria had been at the Humane Society for over 30 days and was scheduled to be put down. Victoria begged and pleaded with the Director to give Ria a few more days, since she was sure someone would adopt her. After I took her home, I decided to name her Ria, in honor of the girl. Victoria is much to long a name for a dog, and Vicky didn't seem to fit right, so we settled on Ria.

After many months of hard work, training, and pulling our hair out, Ria's matured into a truly remarkable dog.