Now That's Love!

If you're ever in New York City, you need to keep your eyes peeled for a very special man with a very lucky pit bull.

We received an email forward Wednesday evening from a rescue partner of ours who's friends with friends of the person who took a very touching photo.

What would you do if your 15 year old pit bull couldn't enjoy their walks anymore because walking long distances drained them of their energy? Would you succumb to life sitting at home while your dog stared longingly out the window? Or would you get your dog a wheelchair?

This wonderful gentleman without a name was stopped by a stranger for a picture of him with his dog. And we're glad the picture made it's way down to South Carolina for us to share with you! This man's dog no longer has the energy to walk to the park and still enjoy the visit to the park. This man showed his love for his dog by getting her a wheelchair. He takes her multiple times a day out to the park via the wheelchair - just so she has the energy to enjoy the park when she does go out.

This man is an inspiration with his devotion to his dog. We hope that should he ever come across this blog with his picture and his dog being showcased, that he will realize what a beautiful example he is setting for dedicated pet owners. We wish we could meet this man to hug him and smooch his dog!

Sir, on this day, Thanksgiving Day, we would like to give YOU a special thanks to being devoted to your dog and continuing to offer her a quality of life that so FEW of these dogs are fortunate enough to experience. Bless you!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

New Hope Welcomes Eddie Munster and Ms. Dolittle

Eddie Munster (formerly known as Eli by the HSMO shelter staff) was the first dog released to New Hope Pit Bull Rescue via Mutts n Stuff. We got the chance to meet him for the first time last Wednesday while we were in Missouri and this boy has got it going on! He's a bit unsure in new situations and places but he recovers quickly and is happy for guidance. He's about 8 months old and shows a LOT of potential to become a remarkable breed ambassador and therapy dog. We're going to be sure he makes it there!

We were fortunate enough to be able to take Eddie back to the hotel room with us that night and in doing so, we got a REAL glimpse of his personality and goofy nature. Check out his debut video.

Now that Eddie has been home for a few days and has really begun to settle in, we're learning SO much more about him. It's taken him a bit to get used to the side yard and thankfully, he's beginning to poop outside without me having to haul his butt out there mid-poop! Yes, we consider these things victories! :) Eddie is a busy boy who is definitely going to need a job. He LOVES to play tug and really enjoys playing with those cat toys with the "feather boa" attached to the end. He thinks the biggest game in the world it throwing himself at you with this big ol' cheesy grin and when he gets excited, he flattens his body to the floor and bounces around! It's mildly amusing now, but may not be when he finishes growing so we'll certainly be working on his personal boundaries and respecting others. We'll be teaching him new things in the future using Bridge and Target training and will prepare him to pass the Canine Good Citizen test in the next few months. He's very responsive to his people and he wants nothing more than to be that good dog everyone wants.

Of course we aren't going to forget to introduce Ms. Dolittle (formerly Mimi) aka Suey (because she reminds us of a little pot belly pig)! When we got to Missouri we knew 2 of the dogs we would be bringing into our program, but Ms. Dolittle here was a surprise. We had anticipated a 3rd dog, but weren't sure who that dog would be until we arrived at the bunker and began our evaluations. We had asked Gale Frey (of Mutts n Stuff) to share with us, dogs that she felt would fit the dynamic of our 3rd available foster home and "Mimi" was at the top of her list. We met her and instantly fell head over heels in love! Thank you Gale and Tracy (of Our Pack, Inc.), for recommending such a wonderfully sweet and full of life girl.

This little girl has such a spunky personality and gentle demeanor. Ms. Dolittle is all about a good game of fetch and will spend as much time as you will give her playing with cat toys, playing fetch, going for walks or just snuggling beside you for some love. And she thinks that kids are the best thing in the world next to Borden sliced cheese! (Yes, she really is a princess... she only likes Borden brand so far. Ha!) She can't seem to get (or give) enough kisses to every little one she meets.

Ms. Dolittle will also be working to attain her CGC certification and become a therapy dog. She came to us with a confidence that said "I will NOT let this beat me" and we have every intention of helping her become a true ambassador for the breed and hopefully make it easier for bust dogs in our own area to receive the chance that these very lucky dogs have been given.

We are still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our 3rd dog, and you can bet we will update again as soon as she arrives safely in our arms. She is equally as wonderful as Eddie and Suey, and we promise you all are going to love her!

We Got To Meet Fay!

You've read about our trip to Missouri and the feeling of overwhelming camaraderie at the bunker, now we want to share with you some pictures of our meeting with this VERY special girl.

We appreciate getting to meet Fay and have our pictures taken with her more than anyone can imagine, because she just radiates love and is one more dog (like our own Mickey Mouth) who is a shining example of how wonderful this breed really is. We want to share our part of Fay's story with everyone who will listen, and hopefully some will walk away with a new sense of understanding about the American Pit Bull Terrier.

Gale Frey, with Mutts n Stuff, brought Fay out to the bunker while we were there and gave us a special opportunity to meet this AMAZING girl! Fay is something else and it's obvious why she's such a much loved character throughout all this. She is a huge testament to the people loving nature of these dogs and why pit bull fanciers favor this breed like they do.

It's painfully obvious that Fay's life has been anything but stellar. Nobody knows exactly what happened to this dog with a heart so full of love. Our guess would be that Fay was as loyal to her former master as she is to everyone she meets, and wanted to make him happy. You see, sometimes when dogs fight, lips get torn and rather than providing proper medical care for the dogs, dog men will simply cut away the hanging skin (in this case Fay's mouth) and use super glue to piece together what little they can.

Although Fay may look scary, she is anything but! She is so gentle and ever so careful not to be to pushy or rough when showing her love. Incredibly, and as we have experienced before with our own Mickey Mouth, Golda and so many other dogs, Fay has such a soft mouth and when she gives kisses, she seems to have an awareness that bumping a delicate human face could actually hurt.

It's always a humbling experience to meet another dog that's obviously been through a less than wonderful life. We are reminded over and over so many times, why we love the American Pit Bull Terrier so much, and just how people loving and good natured these dogs truly are. Why these dogs are so worth saving.

Fay was of course curious about the environment around her, and as most dogs will do... she would sniff the ground, the plants and the objects around us; but she would only step away for a few short seconds before she came right back to our sides wiggling her butt and wagging her tail. She would snuggle in as close as she could get and her whole body was relaxed. This is what we experience with most of the dogs we meet.

We feel so blessed to have been able to meet Fay, the face of dog fighting and spokes dog for so many, and we wish her nothing but the best that life has to offer for the rest of her many years to come.

Fay is scheduled to have multiple re-constructive surgeries to repair as much of this torturous damage to her mouth as possible. Right now, with Fay having no lips, she is suffering from serious dental disease which is causing her teeth to rot and fall out. If you are able to and would like to help pay for Fay's much needed surgery and help give her a better life, please contact Mutts n Stuff in St. Louis, Missouri to learn where to send donations. We know they will appreciate your generosity and kindness.

Welcome Back! Our Trip To St. Louis, MO.

First we'd like to apologize for keeping everyone in suspense. Our trip out to Missouri and back was a whirlwind and we're just now settling back down and able to think straight enough to share our excitement and experience with you all. Whenever anyone has asked how our trip was, there is only one thing we can say that describes our adventure.

Unimaginable...

You think you know what to expect, but then all preconceived images that you pictured in your minds eye go right out the window when you walk in the door. We were greeted by such caring and energetic staff, and they were glad to have us there; and we were glad to be there. The donations that have come in and are still coming, the support from fellow pit bull owners, breed advocates and animal lovers is just amazing and far more appreciated than anyone will ever know. The sound of dogs waking up and saying, good morning and thank you for taking care of me is deafening, but really... we knew it would be and what can you expect with literally hundreds of dogs in one space.

We sincerely wish we would have had more than a day, because we throughly enjoyed helping clean kennels and spending time with the dogs. Unfortunately we only had one day to help AND evaluate dogs that we would be bringing home, so we had to divide our time and work in the morning and evaluate in the afternoon. But the team work among volunteers and the morale is inspiring! And the system in place to make sure everything runs smoothly is incredible! Everything works like a truly well oiled machine.

We want to thank the Humane Society of Missouri and every employee and volunteer for doing such a wonderful job of taking care of all their charges and making sure that every dog gets as much enrichment and attention as possible each and every single day. We met so many great people in Missouri and we want them to all know how truly grateful we are for being welcomed and being allowed the opportunity to help, even if for a few short hours. The dogs seemed happy, a few even greeted us with literal smiles on their faces, and most every one wore those great big "bully grins" that we all know so well and adore. They were most definitely comfortable and there wasn't one dog that we interacted with that day who missed an opportunity to share some love and enjoy what we gave in return.

A big thank you to Gale Frey with Mutts n Stuff, for getting Eli (now Eddie Munster) out of the shelter and helping him begin his adjustment to life inside a home while he waited for us to come. And we also want to thank Gale and Pam (of HSMO) for all of their help in working with us on our first bust case. We feel like we have learned so much from you all and we hope to take this knowledge and turn it into something positive for the future of bust dogs in South Carolina.

We also want to thank, again, those of you who helped make our trip to Missouri happen. Without your support, we would have never experienced such an awesome event and brought home so much knowledge or our first 2 wonderful dogs. Thank you thank you thank you!