Addition to the Household
Well, it has been a long time since either I or my wife has had a dog. We have been discussing it and putting it off for at least a couple years. We had discussed getting an English Mastiff, but decided it would be better if we would rescue whatever canine we happened to find a connection with. We figured we would go to the local shelter, but then the Dog-a-thon fundraiser for the Humane Society came up on the calendar.
We went with our friends who already have a dog. The attendance at the event was great. There were dogs and people everywhere. Little dogs, big dogs, young and old. While checking out the vendor booths, we came upon some dogs wearing capes that said “Adopt Me” and “I’m a B.E.D.R. Dog”. I noticed a couple really cute brindle pups. We hung out, petting them and rubbing their bellies. They were really soaking up the attention from everyone. Then we realized the B.E.D.R. stood for Bullseye Dog Rescue, a group that specializes in Pit Bulls and other bully breeds. All of these adorable dogs were Pit Bulls!
Of course we have always heard how bad Pit Bulls are SUPPOSED to be. There had just recently been a dog attack in Tacoma involving a couple of them. We continued playing with the dogs and discussing the breed with the volunteers from Bullseye. They were all so passionate about educating people about Pit Bulls and showing that the breed, as a whole, is not as monstrous as the media and some groups would like everyone to think.
We decided that we really like a girl named Mia, a 40-some pound blue-brindle who was estimated to be eleven months old. We saw how cute she was and how well she was behaving with all of the chaos that was whirling around her. We left the Dog-a-thon with a lot of research to do and some big decisions to make.
The following weekend, we went to the Mia’s foster house to see her in a home environment. We played with her and the foster family’s two other pit bulls for like three hours. They were some great dogs! We were sold. We made the decision to adopt Mia. The following day, Mia and her foster mom came to our house for the mandatory home inspection. We passed that test, filled out the adoption papers and she was ours! She immediately became a part of the household. She has been incredibly affectionate and well-behaved. She has so much potential, we can’t wait to work with her more at home as well as during our upcoming training session (another requirement of the Bullseye adoption process).
We walk her around the neighborhood twice a day. We took her to the Ruston Way Waterfront this weekend. She has come in contact with many people and other dogs, in each case she has behaved extremely well. A couple people have shied away, but most have been full of compliments on how beautiful she is–and soft! So far the only things that get her excited are birds and squirrels.
