TovaNova -- Translation: Good as New -- got her name as soon as she got her new life, with us. Used and abused, then abandoned. Some subhumans decided to cross a pit with a bull terrier, and then turn the result into a brood bitch. From first heat until used up. Never was inside a house, never had a decent meal (never mind vitamins). Rather than waste a bullet, they tossed her on the side of a highway, where she was rescued. [We believe we know exactly where this was done to her ... stay tuned.] Full vet exam revealed UTI (antibiotics immediately applied, and are clearly working), garbage diet (she has gained 11-13 pounds in one week), but solid skeletal structure. She's a real beauty, and protective as All Holy Hell of the only "home" she's ever known. She's not yet two years old (estimate), takes to training beautifully, but didn't need any training to understand her job.

A dog is like a person, she needs a job and a family to be what she's meant to be. Page 29

I wasn't going to let Rosie walk around without tags and give some cop an excuse, so I did the good–citizen thing. The clerk didn't even blink when I put down "Taurus Uniqua" as her breed. You pay the money, you get a dog license, no questions asked. But if you want AKC credentials, you have to paper the provenance. Otherwise, you can't enter one of their oh–so–special shows. The Nazis would have loved the spectacles those "dog lovers" put on: the winner is the one who comes closest to the physical perfection template. Blue blood, blue ribbon, big bucks. That's why some breeders "cull" their litters. Can't have below–standard pups running around; those defective genes could pollute the perfection pool. A German shepherd with a spotted coatnow, that's a sin against nature. I had her microchipped, too. Things happen. If she was running loose, a Good Samaritan might get her to a shelter. The phone would ring at Mama's, and one of us would go get her. Plus, I didn't want some Animal Control idiot stopping Gateman's wheelchair for walking Rosie without tags. I consider it my civic duty to prevent violence.
Another Life, pp. 80-81