"We saw Cala go from a weak, feeble animal, too depressed to care, to a stronger creature willing to stand up for herself," Battle said. "We also got to see that willful creature incorporate play and goofiness into her daily routine over time." We watched more of her personality emerge with each passing day. She progressed from being terrified of humans to trusting them and even ‘bugging' them for attention."

Cala's difficulties, however, were far from ended. In June, evil persons penetrated the sanctuary and planted poisoned sausages, claiming the lives of 16 innocent dogs. Cala had accidentally consumed one of the sausages but had amazingly survived.