Adopt Me! Once Abused, Dog Sugar Deserves a Sweet Ending

For every pet living with a happy family, there is an animal in a shelter waiting to find a loving home. So today, we'd like you to meet Sugar, a beautiful dog who's survived abuse, cancer and more in her short lifetime.

Sugar's story is a bit more complicated than normal. The 3-year-old pit bull mix was dropped at a Los Angeles-area shelter covered in acid burns and suffering from internal infections, possibly the result of a back-alley C-section. According to Bark Pet Photography's Kim Rodgers, an advocate of Sugar's, the pup was "very near death." A shelter worker took pity on her, and decided to foster Sugar, slowly nursing the dog back to health. But several months later, studies took the graduate student to Denver — a town that bans pit bulls — so it was up to Rodgers and other friends to find Sugar a forever home.

Without any luck, Sugar was sent to another foster home, where she's thrived for eight months. "In that time, Sugar has made huge strides," Rodgers says. "She's currently living with a few other dogs, as well as a cat!" Life wasn't perfect for the pup though — a few months after moving to her new digs, she was diagnosed with skin cancer. That's where rescue organization Molly's Mutts & Meows stepped in, offering to help pay for Sugar's tests and surgeries. A few weeks ago, she was given a clean bill of health!

"She's an incredibly special dog to so many people," Rodgers says. "We know it's time to match her with a forever home that is going to cherish her." The dog is so famous she even has her own T-shirt (designed to sell as a fund-raiser), and a Facebook page dedicated to her inspirational life. "She's exceptionally smart and learns very fast," Rodgers says. "She enjoys walks, but would much rather be inside on the couch with you. She's a heap of couch-potato love!"

Sugar will be shown at a Molly's Mutts & Meows rescue event in L.A. this weekend, but first, you can meet her here and apply to adopt the extra-special pup. "She has an awesome personality," Rodgers shares. "And her will to survive just shines through."

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