Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Blog the Change-Mr Edition

I love pitties.  Everything about them. They are loyal, eager to please and they want nothing more than to be loved and be able to give that love back ten-fold. It was not always that way for me though....

When our family started fostering, I was afraid of pitties. Did I think they were evil & should be banned? No, absolutely not. Yet, I was not asking the rescue for one to foster.

Mrs. knew that I was being silly & did her best to set me straight about the myths & lies being spread about bully breeds, but I was still apprehensive.

One night Mrs. picked me up from work & she had our new foster in the car that she had just picked up. As we pulled onto the road, I looked into the back seat & asked " Is that a pit bull?" She smiled & answered
"Yes, I named her Edie Marie."

I am ashamed to admit it, but the first thing that went through my mind was all of the negative stories that I had heard. All the myths & lies....Do their jaws lock? Is she wanting to bite my face off?

Well, before I could think anymore about it, Edie Marie leaned forward & gave me a big old kiss! She won me over within minutes! I realized what a fool I had been. Edie Marie was just like our past fosters; a loving dog looking for a home. Only she had more muscles!

Edie Marie- we have improved our photos skills a little :)
Edie Marie was only our foster for a couple of months & we are happy to say she found her forever home in New Jersey where she lives on a farm with many animals including donkeys. Not sure why, but the fact that she has donkey siblings really makes us smile.

Since Edie Marie, we have fostered many dogs & quite a few of them have been pitties or pittie mixes & we have loved each & every one.

Thanks for reading my story,
Mr.

We are in no way political, politically correct or breed specific people, but do want to make everyone aware that we feel that EVERY DOG deserves a chance at a happy home.

We normally use our blog to showcase our fosters (Jenny & Sherry-check them out), but today we are doing things a little different. The two dogs that we are going to tell you about are still in danger at the shelter. The shelter is located in Morehead, KY; evaluations can be done on the dogs & transport can be arranged.

Bailey-  The photographer from STAR has sent a personal plea for this pretty little girl to be saved!

Plea from the STAR photographer 1/3: If we have any rescues that take bully breed mixes, this sweet girl doesn't deserve to die! Bailey is a good girl. When taking photos, her tail is always blurred because it's always wagging! She is a sweet girl that loves people and also gets along with other dogs. She's around 1-2 yrs old, and is guessed to weigh 40-45 lbs.
Bio: Owner surrender 12/7. Brindle American Staffordshire Terrier, 1 year old named Bailey. Gets along with dogs and people, he didn't know about cats. She weighs about 40 lb. Bailey is a very happy girl, the kind that's always wagging her tail!  She has been getting along great with another dog in Pen #1.  She loves people, and certainly must miss having an owner.  Bailey would love to have a new forever home where she won't have to worry about coming to a Pound ever again.


Patrick-This little guy was new to the Pound on 12-15 as a stray.  He looks like he has some bull terrier in him judging by his forehead.  Estimated age is 6 months, and weight is guessed at 35 lbs.  Patrick is in OSP #2 where he is doing great with some other dogs.  He is a typical playful and friendly pup, yet submissive with other cellmates!

Please help spread the word about these two beautiful dogs. As is often the case with rural shelters, pitties are rarely adopted & are the first ones put down when room needs to be made.

Thank you to Blog the Change for Animals for creating this event. We look forward to hopping around & meeting everyone & also to participating in the future.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

HOW did I miss this? Oh my gosh! Bless your heart for all you do for the pibbles. I'm so glad to have met you and follow along with your stories of foster after foster and of course, Mr. Pauley James. I hope those 2 lil pibbles get saved! Just breaks my heart :( xoxo

BE THE VOICE!

Sarah said...

The Hubster in our house also was apprehensive about adopting/fostering pitties. Just like you, it only took one pittie to change his mind. So glad that you guys do what you do and open your home & hearts to ALL kinds of deserving dogs!

Connie - Tails from the Foster Kittens said...

it is so sad that the whole breed is blamed for what people do to a small percent of the population.

Yes, big dogs are scarier because their mouths are bigger and they have stronger jaws, but on the whole it is the smaller dog who is most likely to bite you... be it because they are less likely to get training, or people are less intimidated by them and are more prone to approaching them

Thank you for getting over your fears and helping out..

Kristine said...

Thank you so much for sharing your story. You are definitely not alone and I think it's great you were able to overcome your fears. It's natural to be scared when all that is presented is the negative side. But when given a chance, the dogs really do speak for themselves. Breed really has nothing to do with it, in the end. I am so glad you were able to discover that yourself. Thanks as well for highlighting two special dogs in your area. I hope they won't be looking much longer.

Thank you for participating in Blog the Change for Animals and spreading such a positive message!

Kristine
Team BTC

Two Pitties in the City said...

What a great post! I remember when E met Miss M and he was kind of the same way, but it isn't until you meet the pitbulls in person that you realize how ridiculous the stories are. Though it is so sad that so many rescues and homes aren't willing to give them a chance. So great you're sharing so everyone can see the real story!

Emily said...

I never thought I'd have a dog at all and now I've ONLY had dogs labeled the "pit bull type" live in my home. I've worked with other mixes in the rescue and it seems they are "all the same" though "all different" but I still lean on the incredibly biased side towards pit bull favoritism. :)
I love hearing different stories of how people went from being unsure to reformed ;)
Do you know I believed the locking jaw myth when I first adopted and I just thought, "oh well, I'm sure I won't have to worry about that." haha!

Leslie said...

Thank you so much for sharing this story. Knowing, as we do, what great ambassadors you are for rescued pets and pitties, your 'confession' goes a long way to reaching out to others who may have similar fears.

You and the Mrs. have our utmost respect for all that you do. ♥♥♥

Unknown said...

It's a very common apprehension, and it's terrific that not only did you overcome it, but that you could publicly acknowledge it so that others can do the same. Great post! -PoochieProject.com

KimT said...

OMD how sweet they are! It's such a shame, the damage that's done with misinformation. Good for you in setting the record straight about pitties.

Hoping those pitties are transferred to a no-kill rescue or adopted into forever homes very soon!

Thank you for blogging the change for animals!
Kim Thomas
BtC4A

Unknown said...

Thank you for participating in Blog the Change Day and for sharing your story. I think it might help other people to know that even experienced dog fosterers may have some anxiety about bully breeds. Knowing that you were able to overcome your anxiety might help someone else consider fostering a pittie or PB mix. Keep up the good work!

Vicki Cook
Team BTC4A