I didn't want a dog....They're harder to care for than cats and we didn't have a fenced yard.

Hearing a vehicle stop on our country road, I looked up to see a van turning around in the gravel lane. The back door opened and a dog jumped out.

PHOTO: Robin

She turned to look for the owner but they suddenly shut the doors. This van sped away with the dog running as hard as she could to keep up.

I started chasing too so I could get a license plate and also protect the dog. The van got away and this poor dog gave up the chase and came limping back to me with bloody raw paws. She had torn them on the pavement because she had ran so hard.

The vet was closed so we did what we could to make her comfortable for the night.

The next morning the vet determined she was just a year old....and pregnant at an age that isn't ideal for dog pregnancy. This poor dog was kicked out to fend for herself in a strange place while pregnant!

We kept her and discovered she was well behaved. She was potty trained, knew tricks and commands and was eager to please.

We discovered she's afraid of storms. She's also terrified if I have a broom in my hand which makes me think she was abused. She didn't bark and indications point to her possibly having worn a collar that shocked her if she did. The cruelty of humans saddens me.

PHOTO: PEXELS

She gave birth and had 4 very big puppies. I spent a summer of joy raising puppies and the bittersweet tears of giving them up when we found good homes. We kept this wonderful sweet mom though. We named her Bella because she was dumped in our yard, pregnant on the Pagan fertility holiday of Beltane.

She is loved and spoiled and turned our lives upside down in the most beautiful way and now we're "dog people". We have a fence and she goes to doggy day care for play. She is spoiled rotten and is loving life.

Story submitted by Robin of Springfield, Ohio.

Bella's story was originally shared on theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com. Share your very own rescue story here!