Three years ago, I met a fluff ball. She was brought into my life by way of my girlfriend’s Aunt and Uncle. They are animal trainers for movies and when they look for dogs to use in a new project, they go on a worldwide search. Not kidding. They have rescued dogs from Japan, Spain, the UK, and many other places.

The fluff ball — a dirty white terrier mix, in fact — came from much closer to home: a shelter in South Los Angeles. My girlfriend, Jessie, and I met her the night she arrived. There was evidence she had recently given birth to a litter but her puppies were nowhere to be found. She clearly had never interacted with a person before, or the people she had interacted with were not very nice to her. She went limp if you tried to pick her up or pet her. The theory is that she came from a puppy mill and was no longer wanted. She didn’t know love.

We called her: Misery

It wasn’t a name we planned on keeping — just something to call her while we figured out a proper moniker. But somehow, the name stuck as her demeanor seemed unwavering. She was so downtrodden that it was clear she wouldn’t have fun on a movie set the way animal actors need to.

To this day, I’m not sure what began her change. Perhaps it was the overwhelming affection Jessie showed her or the delicious treats she’d never tasted before. Whatever it was, Misery formed a strong bond with Jessie and no longer wanted to be anywhere without her by her side. And the same went for Jessie.

We adopted Misery and she changed both of our lives. Jessie had been going through a severe depression and was finding it hard to get out of despite going through various therapists and medication. I had been struggling to sit at my computer and write, constantly feeling inadequate and unhappy. As Misery began to experience a full life for the first time, we got reminded how wonderful life can be.

One of my favorite memories of Misery is when she discovered carpet for the first time. We were sitting on the couch in a carpeted room and Misery trotted in to say hi but she froze when she felt the strange ground beneath her paws. She looked down and moved one leg at a time, carefully moving forward, like a kid afraid they’ll fall in the imaginary lava pit. We tried to pet her but she ran out of the room, afraid she wasn’t meant to be on the carpet at all. We eventually convinced her it was okay to walk on and she grew more comfortable with that ground and others. We watched as she experienced grass, tile, and a bed for the first time.

As she grew happier, her name made less sense. So now… she goes by The Miz.

Jessie has managed, with the help of Miz, to combat her depression. Although an ongoing battle, Miz is a constant comfort when she is feeling sad. With Miz at my side, showing me her unconditional love like only a dog can, I’ve been able to gain some confidence in my writing and belly rub abilities.

The Miz has come so far around that I actually put her into a commercial I directed for the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest. She was such a good girl on the shoot — sitting for a treat, running for a treat, laying down for a treat. Now the commercial, “Doritos Dogs,” is a top 3 finalist and if we get the most fan votes, the spot will air during Super Bowl 50! To see Miz go from a dog that could barely move on her own, to a happy pup that has a chance at being on TV in front of millions of people, warms my heart.

The Miz loves belly rubs, Jessie, and me.