Some dogs arrive at a shelter with the odds stacked against them. But it just takes a few kind-hearted people to see the true amazing dog underneath.

Oracle was 6 months old when she arrived at the Montgomery Humane Society in Montgomery, Alabama. Not only was she missing all of her hair due to demodectic mange, but her eye was injured and she was completely deaf. The terrier mix was going to need a lot of medical care — and that would take money.

Diana Bunch of Pet Pawtography, who volunteers her time taking photos of animals who need homes, stepped in to help. She shot a series of adorable photos of naked little Oracle wearing pearls and sitting in a cute bathtub. The photos were posted on Facebook, where they generated a lot of buzz for Oracle, and the shelter received many offers to help pay for her medical bills.

One of the people who saw the adorable photos was Cheyenne Edwards. She felt an instant connection to Oracle, and stepped in to foster the puppy with the intent to adopt her once she was all better.

“Because of the mange, we had to report back to the shelter every two weeks for a dip,” Cheyenne said. “The shelter taught me how to do the dips for her. She had to naturally dry, and as we were sitting there drying, she was shivering. Probably because she was cold, but at that moment I promised her I would never leave her side.”

Over time, Oracle’s skin healed and her hair grew back in. Her eye laceration also healed, although she will always have limited sight in that eye. But despite her vision challenges and her deafness, Cheyenne has learned how to make accommodations to communicate well with her.

“As far as I know of, Oracle was born deaf, so that’s all she has ever known,” Cheyenne said. “She does really well with it. She has learned hand signals like no, stay, and sit. When I do the hand signals, I also say the words. That way she can watch my hands and mouth to pick up on them.”

Cheyenne said that Oracle makes “different” noises than some dogs, “like an Ewok sound, and her bark is very loud. She can sense another dog barking, and she starts barking, too.”

Oracle is a lucky dog indeed because she gets to go to work with Cheyenne every day. “I’m a dog bather learning how to groom,” Cheyenne said. “My coworkers love Oracle. I originally started bringing her to work because I had to give her meds three times a day. But it started being a normal routine. Oracle has her own bed and kennel in the shop, along with her toys.”

Today, Oracle lives with two canine siblings: a Cockapoo named Delilah and a Weimaraner mix named Jessie. Because Oracle and Jessie are of similar size, they are the best of buds. “They love to play together,” Cheyenne said. “They chase, wrestle, and play tug of war with whatever they can find.”

Some of Oracle’s favorites things are tennis balls, playing in mud puddles, and beef jerky treats. “I love that Oracle is just Oracle,” Cheyenne said. “She gets random bursts of energy and runs around crazy! When she sleeps, she sometimes peeps out the end of her tongue. It’s really cute.”

Top photo: Oracle courtesy Pet Pawtography.