But the joy of being warm and having some food in her belly gave me a strange sense of joy. I got off work and stopped at the veterinarian’s office to see if I could bring the puppy in later in the day. First I needed to take her to my house to bathe her.

Later, the vet did a thorough examination and determined that the puppy had many problems. The most important one was that she was malnourished. He informed me that she probably would not have lived for more than 48 hours if I had not brought her in. Secondly, she appeared to have been bitten by rats over a good portion of her little body. Lastly, she had a hernia in her abdomen that would require surgery.

Being a single mother of three daughters, I definitely could not afford the $750.00 that it was going to cost to get my new best friend healthy. But I believed that for some reason God intended for me to find this little gal, and he would provide a way. I instructed the vet to do whatever he had to do to save the little puppy I named Doty.

And God did find a way! When my mail was delivered the next day I received a check for $825 that I had not been expecting. Now I’d be able to afford Doty’s surgery! Over the next two years, Doty required more medical attention, but eventually she grew into a beautiful, healthy, and important addition to our family. I’ve always believed that every act of kindness, no matter how small, will be given back in some unexpected way. — Beliefnet.com