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Kiss~a~bully's Groups
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Burque Bullies
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Kiss~a~bully's discussions
Please Help!! Rocky only has 1 week left!
3 Replies
Started this discussion. Last reply by sophie Jun 17.
Kiss~a~bully's Page
Profile Information
- Where I Live:
- Burque
- About Me:
- I am the founder of a new pit bull benefit calendar for the bullys of the 505.. It's called Burque Babes n' Bullys.. I heart my pit bull Ahkunamatata..
- Favorite Thing(s) About Albuquerque:
- the sunsets
- Relationship Status:
- In a Relationship
- What I'm Reading:
- books
- What I'm Listening To:
- music
Kiss~a~bully's Blog
Urgent!!! Duke needs your help!!
Posted on November 9, 2008 at 11:43am —
Gotta Love the Pit Bull !!! Please Help!
We would like to announce the NEW ALL OR NOTHING CHARITY AUCTION!
Come to our forum: http://www. allornothingtattoo. co… Continue
Posted on October 8, 2008 at 3:12pm — 10 Comments
Adopt Me!! ~ Rocky the pitbull
Posted on August 15, 2008 at 3:07pm — 9 Comments
In need of contributions for the 2009 calendar!
Posted on August 15, 2008 at 3:02pm —
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Book Club
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© 2008 Created by chantal
Comment Wall (17 comments)
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I figured I drop you line in the hopes that you might be able to help. We have been fostering a sweet 7 m.o. pit/heeler mix and have been looking for a good home for her. We picked her up from the City shelter, so she's spayed, has all her shots up-to-date and even has a free vet visit for October.
She's a sweetheart and is good with other dogs, but is too active for our other two (senior) pups. If you happen to know of anyone looking for a great dog please feel free to contact me - thanks!
NN
This is the tale of a rescue.
The summer of 1995 I was working in a sweat shop in New Orleans, where I had a window in front of my workstation which allowed me to see that the outside world did continue to exist. It was a tedious job, one that I desperately needed at the time and was grateful to have.
One day as I was toiling away I happened to look out the window at just the right moment and see across the street a dog being walked. There is an animal shelter on Magazine Street, right in the middle of the city and they were always taking their charges for a stroll. This particular dog caught my eye and I watched as he hesitantly made his way down the street with his caretaker. He was very nervous and timid and I felt as though I understood what he might be experiencing, while I sat in my chair doing production work often thinking to myself, ‘is this all there is for me?’
He reminded me of Petey from the Lil’ Rascals, minus the circle around his eye. He was a stocky Pit Bull of no particular countenance, at least as far as I could tell or for all I knew about the breed, which was next to nothing. Other than the ‘fact’ they were purportedly vicious and had killer instincts and have jaws that lock, etc… All the typical rigmarole that is associated with the breed.
I decided at that moment that I was going to inquire about this dog and find out what was his story.
The next morning I left my home early and went first to the shelter to ask about this dog. The response I got was overwhelming to say the least, the staff was jubilant that someone was actually asking about this Pit Bull, who they had dubbed ‘Baby‘. They asked me all sorts of questions, typical I suppose, to make sure that I was interested in a pet and not some dog fighting maniac. I passed the initial screening.
They brought him out from his kennel and he was wide eyed and very tense and all the commotion just added to his angst. He was not friendly, he was not playful, he was not much of anything except a dog, in form. I wasn’t sure what to make of him in close proximity so I observed him while he looked at me and the staff began telling me his back story.
They received a call that an elderly woman in the Lower Ninth Ward had an injured Pit Bull in her laundry room and could they please come and pick him up right away. She had been trying for two weeks to get him out from under her house and to come inside. He had been shot in the leg and the wound was festering in the heat of a New Orleans summer.
The staff went to retrieve him and surprisingly to them he got into the crate with no hassle at all and they transported him to the vet immediately. His front right leg was swollen to three times its normal size, the bones a shattered mess, his face was scared and his ears had been trimmed with what they suspected were scissors.
He spent the next few weeks recovering, fully.
After the initial meeting, I went on to work and spent the day thinking.
Thinking about this dog and his story and the perceptions of Pit Bulls that I had and so many others have and would I be willing to risk a body part to try and re-hab this dog that had suffered so much at the hands of thoughtless individuals.
I went home that night and discussed this with my now Ex.
We agreed to give him a chance.
I began by meeting him at the shelter each morning, during my lunch break, and after work to take him for walks. Letting him get used to the idea of me. David (my Ex) would often accompany us and after about two weeks and a noticeable level of relaxation, we decided it was time to try bringing him home.
We brought him into the house and he wondered around and sniffed here and there and we followed behind him observing. We had already purchased the pet supplies, water and food bowls, a dog bed, a collar and leash and a couple of chew toys.
He settled in nicely after his initial survey of the house and took to his bed as if it had been his all along. He seemed to feel that this was a good place for him and as he lay in his bed, he looked at us in a noncommittal way as if to say, ‘what are looking at?’
Over the next few weeks he got more and more comfortable, still very timid but willing to be petted and settling in nicely. I had to teach him to play and run and just have fun, something that I thought came naturally to animals, dogs in particular. He had been so mistreated that just getting him to understand that a ball was for chasing and playing fetch was a real challenge. With time he got the idea and he would get so excited to go to the levee on Bayou St. John and just romp around. There were a few times that he would get so worked up playing ball and he would come galloping back with the ball and forget to stop in time and knock me square on my ass.
Unless of course he knew what he was doing and that was just his way of expressing exuberance. It was a lot of fun and a great workout and we just have so many great memory’s of running around and learning to trust each other.
We took him to visit the shelter quite often and he was always happy to see the people there and they were thrilled with his progress and he would grin this crazy grin and stomp around like he owned the place.
A big change for sure.
One time when we took him for a visit he made his way around the shelter and suddenly we couldn’t find him. We started looking everywhere and thought perhaps he had slipped out the front door when someone had opened it to leave. I ran outside while others were looking around the various rooms, I looked up and down Magazine street, he was nowhere in sight. I ran back inside and they said they had found him sitting in front of one of the kennels looking at the Boxer inside. Tilly was her name and she was quite taken with Baby and he with her. We decided he needed a buddy and so we took them for a walk together and they got along great. After thinking this over for a couple of days we agreed to give her a chance to come and live with us also.
They got along very nicely, with only one or two scraps here and there, nothing major, and finally settled into a routine that would serve them well over the years. They were companions and somehow realized that things were going to be okay for them now. Lots of walks along the Bayou, trips out to the country to my sisters house, a warm safe place to sleep, food, water and lots of love. They responded beautifully and added something so wonderful to our lives.
There are a lot of little stories that I could add to all this to instill the feelings that I have about this dog. How he became such a huge part of my life, how he protected me, comforted me, sat with me and was more present than anything I had experienced in my life. Sooner or later I will add small stories about the adventures of Baby and Tilly. For now though this will hopefully suffice.
Most of what I am trying to convey in this blog is that Pit Bulls are much maligned and due to their extreme physicality and unwavering devotion they do indeed make for a formidable foe when trained to be so. It is not naturally occurring in them however and any animal ,or human for that matter, that is harmed and forced to be vicious will do what it needs to survive.
Even after all Baby had been through, he forgave humans and became undoubtedly one of the best friends I have ever had.
Sadly after almost 11 years with us he passed away. It was a quiet passing and he had his head on my lap as he slowly left a life that had started out so brutally and ended very peacefully. He died the day after Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans and it helped me then and still helps me today to think that this sweet, gentle creature that changed my life in so many ways, had quite possibly gone that day so that he could go help all the stranded animals that needed his help, those trapped in attics and in flooded houses for days after the storm. Alone and scared and hopeful.
At least, that is what I think.
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Here are a couple of pics of Ginger.
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