Meet Belle

Belle wasn't always Belle. We originally named her Nikki when someone abandoned this tiny 9.5-pound Shih Tzu overnight on our property... in a cat carrier. She was terrified, standing in urine, and so severely matted that it took eight hours, with two people working together, to remove the mats from her legs, belly, face, ears, and back. It was one of the worst cases of neglect we've seen in such a little dog. But they could have done far worse things than dropping her off on our property, so there's that! Once the mats were gone and she had a couple of much-needed spa days, everything changed. She began trusting people, stole all of our hearts, and officially became a Canine CellMates dog when her stray hold ended. Today, Belle is settling into Beyond The Bars beautifully. She may have started out shy, but she's already decided her handler—and a few of the other participants—are pretty wonderful. Watching her confidence grow has been such a joy.