Last Tuesday, I went to the shelter to meet 2 sibling pups that Friends is trying to get into a foster home. One is deaf. They were older rambunctious pits mixed with pointer. I knew we could not handle both & I couldn't bear to pick one over the other. They are at least in a cage together, so they have each other. Walking through the pavilions, I saw the frightened blue pitbull (now named LeRoy). His cage card said he was brought in as a stray on December 21st, unclaimed & was to be euthanized. He had not come out of his shell & therefore, unlikely to be adopted or rescued. We planned to bring our beagles to meet this big boy on Wednesday. I had to know if he was dog friendly (more like stubborn beagle friendly), which would make him an acceptable candidate for us.
I was woken up at 3am Wednesday morning to sounds of an unfamiliar bark. My husband had just gotten home from work & I asked WHO is that barking? With a look of guilt in his eyes, he told me simply 'a puppy'. I thought, wait, we adopted Peyton out a week ago, what puppy!?!? I ran downstairs & found the tiniest pup I'd ever seen. Lexi was named after Lexington Street. She is part of the wiggles protection program, so her history is on a 'need to know' basis ;-)
In her first week in our home, she has flourished. Due to the fact that she was fed milk & bread in her previous existence & never taken to the vet (our vet visit found her ridden with worms!!!), she eats her puppy chow like she is never going to eat again. She is doing fantastic on house training, has become comfortable in her crate overnight & has bonded with our 2 stubborn beagles. She is going to be a great addition to whomever adopts her!
We decided to proceed with taking our dogs (now with Lexi in tow) to the shelter to meet the blue boy. He immediately kissed Lexi & was curious about the other 2 who were interested in nothing more but the scents of a foreign place! Blue boy hid when a beagle growled at him, so this was a good sign. It took my other half about 25 minutes to become comfortable enough to engage this monster sized dog (his phobia of big, unknown dogs still haunts him). And it took seconds for him to see the diamond in the rough that I had. Blue boy snuggled his head in his lap & without request, lifted his paw. At some point, someone loved this dog. It is unfortunate that we will never know his history prior to December 21st. Since our first foster was a blue pitbull, I was sure this boy was worth saving. It took a little more convincing of my husband. Blue boy was neutered, vaccinated, microchipped & I picked him up yesterday.
The stench of a shelter is indescribable. I had my windows down & my heat on for the ride home. First order of business was a bath. LeRoy Blue was not going to be making any friends smelling like that! We decided to try those self-bathing stations at a groomer/boarding/daycare. THAT was an experience! He was filthy! And not a real big fan of being bathed, but he was a good boy. Except for the one time that he managed to get the chain off the wall & lept out of the tub in an escape attempt. A HUGE thank you to Canine Corral on Milwaukee Avenue. We will be patronizing you often!
Introductions in our yard went well. We brought baby Lexi out first. I've always felt that my beagles can recognize other beagles. Maybe it's a scent? Maybe instinct? But LeRoy & Lexi seem to know that they are of the same descent. Their interaction was precious. Lots of kisses between the two. He even allows the puppy to bite him, crawl all over him & annoy him with puppy play antics. Without reaction. If you can picture a 56lb full size pitbull & a 6 lb. baby pit, it is truely priceless. I hope to capture a photo soon!
LeRoy knows how to sit, stay, lay down, give paw, give kiss & walks well on a leash with a pinch collar. Someone MUST be missing this dog!
LeRoy may have been Houdini in another life. He was able to get out of his cage in about 5 minutes. We have fixed that with a strong vice type clip that secures the bottom latch so it cannot be undone. Last night was a peaceful night of sleep. All 9 HOURS of it!
Today I took LeRoy to get a dental treatment. His teeth are pretty dirty & one of his canines is cracked in half with the root exposed, so it will be removed. The vet just called to report LeRoy is not only sweet as pie, but healthy with the exception of needing a little weight & about 4 years old. Thank you Pet Vets of Oak Park!
On January 14th, LeRoy will go to the Westville, Indiana prison & enter the Mixed Up Mutts training program for 4 weeks. There he will earn his good canine citizen certification. I look forward to the next week we have with him in our home & for his return in mid-February. This also gives us time to place Lexi in her forever home & resume a 3 dog household. Our house is a bit chaotic, but I wouldn't have it any other way! Even though LeRoy is 4 years old, he has a long life ahead of him. Blue pitbulls are not a rare color, but they are most popular. And seeing such a well trained & behaved one up for adoption is a needle in a haystack.
'A dog is the only thing that loves you more than you love yourself'
No comments:
Post a Comment