jerry said:

Nikki, here is the link to Titan’s story.

Also, you might want to check out this awesome, inspiring Mastiff, Bella. We just learned about her today. Here’s her website.

Hi... I'm Bella's foster mom. She is an incredible Neapolitan Mastiff with a very sad background. As far as I know, the story I've been given is that she was "living on a farm" when she got hit by some farm equipment. However, I have reasons to doubt that story. One of the reasons is she has some disturbing scars on her face, her teeth have been worn down for some reason, and she shows clear signs of being bred at least a couple times. Anyway, she was taken to a vet and dropped off to get her injuries treated. The vet tried to save her leg, but was unable to do so. The vet tried to contact the owner, but the owner was not responsive. So the vet had to take her to a shelter.

After she was there a while and her story got around, a couple came and adopted her because they felt sorry for her. They had the best intentions, but they clearly didn't know how to care for a dog with a missing front leg. To make matters worse, Neos are huge, and heavy dogs with massive bone structure. The weight of her entire body truly should be distributed between four legs, not three. So her remaining front leg is getting severely damaged and will be destroyed if her situation is not addressed. During her two years at the couple's home, she did not get any physical therapy, nor did she get any kind of exercise. She merely laid on the kitchen floor with a big comfy pillow, all day and night. The owners split up and now the woman is working long hours and couldn't care for Bella any longer. So she contacted a rescue group. I was a volunteer with that group and the past national director and I have been good friends, so we talked it through, thought long and hard and decided to take her in and give it our best shot to rehabilitate her and get her rehomed. Bella was grossly overweight, to add insult to injury, so her energy level was nil.

She's been with us -- our little foster family and dog pack -- for two and a half weeks now. We all love her very much. Unfortunately, there was a parting of the ways between me and the group, and the director left, and some other volunteers have left. Bella was at the heart of it all. But sadly, she is also paying the price because now I'm on my own with my tiny little household budget trying to get her the proper help she needs. It is a very trying time, but I'm hopeful and determined to make it work. Please visit her site and check out the interactive journal, which is where I do some blogging. I'd love to get some folks' comments on things and some suggestions would be great too. Her website is:  http://www.bell.....lisimo.com  Thanks for reading this!!  And best wishes to all of you out there trying to do your best to care for a special dog.