"Each dog is such an individual, and we want to make certain that we give each one of them what they most need," said Besmehn, who oversees the health and welfare of all the dogs living at Best Friends. "Before they came here, their lives were really limited. Now it's important to help socialize the dogs into other situations."

Little Red is another success story. Meeting Little Red, a caramel-colored pit bull who also is missing her teeth, means getting a big, slobbery kiss and a good sniffing-over.

"Oh, you little missy, you come here!" coos Mckenzie Garcia, John's wife who also works at Best Friends as a caretaker. Little Red obeys immediately, wiggling her chubby body onto a waiting lap and panting with delight as her belly is rubbed.

At some point, most of the "Vick-tory" dogs could be adopted, said Besmehn, although there is much work left to do before they are ready.

"We have a very stringent adoption process in place for these dogs," she said. "Because they are under such a microscope, we want to make sure they make the best possible progress. Their behavior is not a disease."

For more information about the program, "Dogtown," go online to natgeotv.com or to bestfriends.org

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E-mail: nperkins@desnews.com