"Hi... I heard from (insert name here) that you take in pit bulls?"
At least three times a month I get voice mails like this. Sometimes they are families that can no longer "keep" their dog for one reason or another and sometimes they are people that have irresponsibly let their dogs breed and can not find someone to "buy" the last of the puppies. Before Stoli's puppies were adopted I recieved a phone call from someone with six nine week old puppies that they couldn't "sell." Those calls are always frustrating. Not only did I have absolutely no room for another dog but six? And by the way did you plan on spaying your female? Do the puppies even have their shots? So frustrating!
On Thursday I had plans. I planned out a pretty busy day. Take Colton to school, get some homework done, take Tim to work, go to the dentist, and then to school early to play with the similator before class from 6-8. After class, dinner with Tim like every Thursday.
Except it ended up nothing at all like I had planned. On my way to the dentist I got an all too familiar phone call. Two stray pit bulls were found in a neighboring town that does not allow pit bulls. A distant cousin of mine works for the city and he picked them up. He was keeping them at the city garage in a large kennel. Someone was taking the male dog so the girl puppy still needed somewhere to go. The county Animal Control gave him five days to find them homes or they would step in and take them. Thursday was day five.
I suppose if you don't have much experience with shelters and pit bulls you would suspect that they would be cleaned up and put up for adoption. Unfortunately, you are very wrong. In this county when stray pit bulls are found in cities with BSL laws they go straight into the gas chamber. No bath, no love, no chance for an adoption. Poof! You were found wandering where you "don't belong" so you get the death penalty!
I'm leaving for Florida early Monday morning and won't be back until Friday. The following week I have finals and on the 10th I have surgery. Tim and I had agreed that we would not take in any fosters until after my surgery when I am up for it. However, as the hours wore on and all my networking was coming up FAIL! I finally emailed the rescue that we foster for asking if they had any ideas. Twenty minutes later....
I called them back to say I would take her. I suppose with everything going on it's going to be even more chaotic around here. But, this poor puppy did not ask for the hand she was dealt any more than I had asked for the phone call. I couldn't say no.
I had planned on picking her up at 8:30 that night but when the family came to pick up the male dog, she freaked out. Lord knows how long they were wandering the streets together. They may have been from the same home or they could have simply found each other. Whichever it was, they were definietely attached. So, to make things easier I went to pick her up early while the male dog was still there.
Poor baby was covered in feeces, urine and dirt. She is somewhere around 8 or 9 months, has an infection in her eye is nearly 15 pounds under weight. I immediately took her home and put her in a nice warm bath. She sat there very calmy and let me bathe her. At one point she even began to fall asleep. :) The warmth and comfort was exactly what this poor girl needed.
Meet CoCo....
As you can see she knows how to sit when asked. She was very good with the other dogs when we let her play with them one on one. Sometimes our dogs don't do so well when there's two of them and then a new dog, they tend to get too rowdy. But she was very submissive and rolled right over to her back and kissed all their faces. She even curled up on the couch with Stoli for a nap. I think she'll do just fine. Hope she finds a good family very soon.
We took her to the vet yesterday where she will stay for the weekend to get all of her shots and checks done. Then monday morning she will be spayed and Tim will pick her up on Tuesday.
