Missie was restricted to the back porch and kitchen, and her favorite place of all was by the heater vent. We really didn't keep the house cold, but whenever the heater was on, she'd be right on top of it. Sometimes her dog license and the studs on her collar would get so hot you could almost burn your fingers on them. Perhaps fear of the cold was another holdover from her abandoned puppyhood.

Click here for a previously unseen picture of Missie at the heater.