Brighten Your Day

We have a pit bull.

We found him a few weeks ago, walking along the road in a rural area. He was jumping on cars, and we thought maybe his family was camping somewhere nearby, so we passed him by. A few hours later, on our return trip, he was still in the same place, again, trying to get folks to stop for him. When he saw us, he laid down in the middle of the road, so we were unable to get around him.

We stopped the car and looked around for a few minutes, trying to figure out if anyone was around from whom he was separated. It didn't appear so. Then we took a good look at the dog. He had no collar and he was really thin. We decided he was abandoned.

My husband said, "If he doesn't bite me when I try to pick him up to put him in the car, then we have a new dog." The dog happily joined us with no fight at all. The only thing we were in danger of was getting licked to death. He kept sticking his head between the two front seats and thanking us for picking him up.

The dog was clearly on the road for some time. He was extremely under weight. He was covered in scars and new wounds. We have surmised that some of the scars were from when he was on the road, we are thinking possible fights with coyotes, but he also looks as though he was used for fighting other dogs. We figured his incredibly sweet personality was the reason he was abandoned. He must not have been a good fighting dog.

So, we fed him a lot over the course of the next two weeks and he gained over twenty pounds. We took him to the veterinarian, who said the dog appears to be in good health, despite his having been abandoned. The vet guessed the dog is about two or three years of age, from the condition of his teeth. The vet gave him all the required shots and sent us on our way.

We do love this dog. He has obviously been mistreated and yet, he still is so very sweet. He had no manners, but he is a quick learner. He no longer tries to get on the bed, but he does like sitting in one of the folding chairs. We figure he wishes to avoid being underfoot when our daughter is dancing about, which she does often. She has stepped on him a few times. When that happens, he simply moves. He does not growl or bare his teeth. This is the first pit I've ever been around, so all the stories I have heard over the past few decades make me wonder about their validity.

Since then, he has become a member of our family.