Best Friends Animal Society - Building the Puppy Care Center at Best Friends

If Thomas Edison ever wanted a puppy, he missed the perfect girl by a century or so. Are there any other creative thinkers out there who'd like a kindred spirit to keep you company while you invent? Have we got the dog for you! Meet Abba. She's not the biggest in her litter, but clear and away the leader. And one of the main ways she keeps the rest in line is through sheer, dogged persistence (no pun intended!). When she wants something, you'd better not be the one standing in her way. She would've invented the light bulb, too, if it had caught her interest.

For example, if Abba sees a crack in the doorway (like when it's time to let one of the other puppies out for a walk), she heads straight for the door. Never mind pesky obstacles like caregivers who try to close the gate. Keeping Abba inside her play area with a cracked doorway is sort of like playing whack-a-mole with your arms tied behind your back. You might as well admit defeat.

She doesn't know how to quit. Life seems to hang in the balance of every goal, as each of her siblings knows. Just ask anyone who's tried to talk her out of a favorite napping spot. Don't be fooled - she's really a sweetheart (as long as you don't plan on engaging her in any debates or staring contests).

Abba came to Best Friends with her siblings from a rescue group in northern Arizona. Her rescuers had to literally tear apart the bottom of a trailer to reach the abandoned pups. Looks like she was determined even back then. "You want me to come out there?" she must've said. "Ha! Good luck, folks."

Abba and her siblings were all named after the music group Abba: Benny, Frido (after Frida, but he's a boy), Abba, Bjorn, and Agnetha. Seeing them together, it's no wonder she got the name that stands for the whole bunch! She's not the supporting character of anything.

Story by David Dickson
Photos by Sarah Ause

Who's the boss?