Some of you may recognize this dog. We have a privilege today -- a dog that was once in dire straits is now being spotlighted in our Readlarrypowell.com weekend feature, Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap.
We first wrote about Angel back on Jan. 7 in a story headlined "Two Dogs Named Angel."
One was a rescued dog in Marshall, eventually taken in by Paws In The City in Dallas.
The other was this dog, Angel. Kelly Beichler began her letter to us, "On Friday morning (1/4/08) a helpless and very injured pit bull mix showed up on our doorstep."
Now, looking at these photos, you can see that Angel has taken the Art of Slumber to a new level -- it almost looks like a ballet.
And she's made a definite difference in the lives of Kelly and Bill Beichler. In fact, Kelly sent out a general message to Angel's supporters: "We would like to extend our appreciation to the 'unknown' angels who have given so graciously. We have never met, yet you reached out to help a dog in desperate need. There are no words to express our gratitude."
In nominating Angel for Let Sleeping Doges Lie & Napping Cats Nap, Kelly wrote, "Angel arrived on our doorstep in the freezing cold weather. We knew she was hurt and had to help.
"I originally called the City of Dallas (we live in the Casa Linda area) to come get her. I have 3 other dogs and a 4th one would be too much. Plus, Angel is a pit bull and I have always been scared of them and judged them to be mean. However, when I found out the awful truth about what would happen to her in 72 hours, I said forget that!
"We kept her in our garage (with a heater and a couch to sleep on) until we figured out what to do. Thanks to your suggestion, we started an Angel fund with our vet. Because of your article and some truly amazing, kind-hearted, loving, and generous people, we were able to raise money for the surgery Angel needed. Her back left leg was broken. "Metro Paws Animal Hospital and Dr. Jennifer Lavender were AMAZING! Dr. Lavender screwed a special, metal plate into Angel's bones. ... She's been wearing a cast for over 4 weeks now. In the picture the cast is covered in plastic and secured with tape because we have to keep it dry (it was raining that day).
"How's the recovery process? I won't lie, it's not easy. Not easy for ME! Angel is as happy as could be. I have to come home right after work everyday to let her out for a potty break. It's limited my activities quite a bit. However, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I am in love with this baby! She is so precious. She does the cutest little things.
"For example, she loves soft things like stuffed animals and my husband’s socks. She’ll hold them in her mouth and throw them just so she can go chase them. She holds her stuffed animals with her paws and rolls back and forth on her back. It’s adorable! She just loves to play and it breaks my heart that I can’t allow her to run around. We have to make sure that her leg is completely healed first.
"She loves sharing the couch with Bailey, my nine year-old dachshund. They don’t do much together besides sleep next to each other because Bailey is old and set in her ways. "Angel does like to take her time to find the most 'perfect' sleeping position. If I am next to her she lays on me and pushes against me with her legs. If she's is by herself, she'll shift around until she can stretch out her legs. It's so cute!
"We haven’t made a decision yet about adoption for Angel. We love her so much and she is so GOOD! She is very laid back and gloriously happy if she can lay on your lap. "This morning as I was getting ready for work, I was sitting on my floor next to a mirror. Angel came up next me and 
rested her head on my shoulder as I put on my make-up. "How could I give her up? [That's one of her earlier photos in the red harness.]
"I told my husband it was up to him. We adopted out one of our dogs last week to the most amazing family in the world. This was a dog that we rescued in September. We loved her, but we couldn’t give her the exercise and attention that she needed. So we had to do what was best for her and gave her up. It was devastating and wonderful at the same time. I don’t know if I can go through that again.
"So that’s the latest on my baby Angel. I’ll let you know if we decide to keep her. If we adopt her out, it will be tough finding her the perfect home. You can bet that we won’t settle for anything less than the best for Angel."
(As you can see, at Readlarrypowell.com we believe in the joy of slumber and we invite you to help us celebrate it in Let Sleeping Dogs Lie & Napping Cats Nap by sending photos of your sleepers and info about yourself to [email protected]. We're happy to make a star of anyone who knows how to enjoy a good lie-down. Or, in some creative cases, a sprawl, a sit-up-and-sleep, a fall-over and doze, etc.)
