Our Dog Spirit

Meet Spirit.
We have had Spirit for 7 years today.  We adopted her from the Humane Society.  They told us that she was found in a barn with about 100 other dogs. 
We visited her a few times while still at the humane society, while they spayed her.  She would come to the side of the cage, sniff us then go back and lay down.
When I brought her home, she hated the car ride. Spirit hated the front door of our building, she hated the elevator, she didn't want to go through our apartment door!  She wouldn't eat in front of anyone.  She waited until no one was in the room to eat. She was shy and scared at first, with her tail tucked between her legs, with her whole body shaking. 
Her fur was so matted.
It took Spirit about a week for her tail to be raised and wagging.  She stopped shaking.  After about another week she wasn't scared of the stairway.  After about 3 weeks, the elevator didn't freak her out.   After about a month, she would eat in front of us and she knew that if I grabbed my keys and the leash, she was going for a walk!!
She always has to know where I am in the house.  She sits by the door, waiting for me when I leave to go to work.  She sleeps beside our bed.
She is still scared of loud noises.  She hates thunderstorms and is terrified of fireworks. But she knows that a hug from me will make her feel better!
She has gone through two illnesses. One emergency surgery two years ago to remove a bladder stone the size of a peach pit. And just this past Dec: major bowel problems that slowly got better with a few different medications.  She is feeling better now and back to her happy self.
The joy on her face when she runs around the leash-free park is worth everything.
She has got Spirit.

Spirit while at the Humane Society. They called her Peaches.

Spirit last week, after I gave her a bath