I can't believe it's been five years since Zoe joined our family.

It was just about Christmastime in 2004 when I went to the Hawaiian Humane Society to make a donation. I saw a small white dog in the back of the kennel. As other dogs ran toward me to say hello, this dog stayed in the corner looking extremely sad and forlorn.

She was very thin, her coat was dirty and stringy, and she was labeled "heartworm positive." Something told me, take this little dog home. No one will adopt a dog that is heartworm positive.

So Zoe went home with me that day.

Zoe had some unusual traits. She refused to bark for two weeks. She also liked hiding behind the television. We wondered why she was so shy.

We didn't even know how old or what her ancestry was. Dr. Scott Harada at the Pet Clinic estimated Zoe's age to be about 2 by the condition of her teeth. He guessed that she's a mix of Papillon, terrier and Spitz.

The heartworms caused an enlarged heart. She was treated twice with a strong medicine containing arsenic to kill the heartworms in her bloodstream.

For the first treatment, she stayed at the vet for a week. She was allowed to come home for a month to rest, then went back again to the hospital since not all the worms were gone. The drug is powerful and one of the side effects is it can damage the lungs.

During her treatment period, Zoe wasn't allowed to run around, get excited or do anything fun. Any excitement could cause emboli to break off and cause a stroke.

Every time she came home after her treatment, she'd be lethargic and depressed. You could tell she didn't feel well.

It took many months before Zoe was finally considered free of heartworms. Once she was cleared to run and play like a normal dog, she went to obedience and then agility classes. She enjoyed conquering the obstacles on the course, running as fast as she could (with me, huffing and puffing, trying to keep up).

Animal lover Leslie Kawamoto has been with the Advertiser for 19 years, or 133 in dog years. Check out her blog at www.HonoluluAdvertiser.com/Blogs.