So I got my dog about a year ago, in December. I saw her post on the Humane Society page here; it didn't have a picture but described her as a black 4-year-old Minature Schnauzer. It was the Friday of finals week, and I just needed to go get some dog and cat love at the humane society. I walk in with no intentions of adopting at that point. I go up to the counter and ask to see this dog, I had so many confused looks - they had no idea what or who I was talking about when I finally said her name, Sweet Potato, that rang a bell… they told me to go wait in the side room and they would bring her to me.

They bring this old, skinny, smelly dog with a black spot on her nose out to me… I was in shock because this wasn't what I was expecting.

She could barely walk, her hip bones were sticking out, she was walking sideways and kind of bumping into things around her. I tried to get her to come to me, but she couldn't hear me. Someone found her in a sweet potato field on Thanksgiving and brought her in… hence the name Sweet Potato.

Well, to say the least, this was the last thing I was expecting, but I could not leave without her. This poor dog needed help and with the humane society telling me they would put her down if no one fostered or adopted her - how could anyone leave her no matter how beautifully ugly she was?

Long story short - after a battle with the awful Oxford-Lafayette Humane Society - Sweet Potato is mine, adopted, my name signed on the papers.

Haha, what? What am I going to do with a half blind, deaf dog? Well, that's what I had to learn.

Patience - I needed this big time. She couldn't hear me, so when I called her, she wouldn't come, and I know what you're thinking, "Who wants to be called Sweet Potato?" Well, I don't know… But I had to figure out how to get her attention. This was tricky, but come to find out, squatting down and holding a piece of cheese did the trick.

She also taught me to be kind to everyone; she has her flaws just like everyone else. We think she was thrown out because of all her flaws, but why would someone do that? What if we got hard of hearing and couldn't see that good, smelled kind of bad, looked shaggy, couldn't walk that good, and other things - we wouldn't want our parents or loved ones to just give up on us and throw us out.

I know it's crazy to think my dog made me better, but she did and I'm forever thankful for that scraggly, smelly, half blind and deaf dog walking out to me and helping me realize that everyone needs a chance.