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Vivian Peyton, a Staffordshire Terrier, had lived a hard life if the scars on her body were any indication. She was believed to have been used as a bait dog in a Philadelphia dogfighting ring. The dog weighed only 39 pounds when she was surrendered to animal control. She was slated to be euthanized when a group called the New Leash on Life took her in. She was taken to a prison facility to be trained by prisoners. The program was relatively new but promising to be successful. 

After Vivian Peyton's training time was up, she was adopted to Michele Pich, co-director of the VetPets program at the University of Pennysylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. When Michele picked her up, the prisoner who had been in charge of training Peyton said,  “Please, just promise me that you’re going to love her as much as I love her.” 

One of the requirements of the New Leash on Life program is that all dogs who participated must be slated for euthanasia. Then they are placed with high-risk inmates to form a bond. It is a rehabilitation process for both the inmate and the canine that has proven highly successful. Michele remembers when she first met Vivian Peyton, "The first day I met her I had taken my veterinary students to help socialize the prison dogs, to get the dogs used to other environments. All the dogs there were good, but they were nervous. Except for Peyton over there. There she is, laying on her back, belly up, smiling at everybody. That was my first clue that she was going to be able to adapt to most environments."

Michele focuses on comforting sick children at the Ronald McDonald House, and she now uses Vivian Peyton as a therapy dog to also bring contentment. In an interview with VetStreet, Michele said, “The second I met her, I just knew that I needed her to be part of my family. It was such a godsend that she was able to come out of her shell. She just needed somebody to love her and give her a chance.”

For the last two years, Vivian Peyton has worked as a trusted therapy dog. She is currently being honored by the National Dog Show as one of the year's best and featured therapy dogs. Michelle said about the acknowledgment, "It’s an incredible honor. It’s wonderful that they’ve been including therapy dogs in the show — especially because of the work they do, they promote the human-animal bond in such an amazing way. To have my little girl be part of that is pretty incredible, especially considering all the circumstances she started from."