Feathers, Fur and Fins

I know there are a couple of people who pass through this blog who have a bully dog. If you've never had the honor of being loved by a bully you are really missing out on something. These dogs are incredibly special.

I got my Nala when she was 7 weeks old. At the time I had 3 dogs and I did not want to own a pit bull. But through a series of happy accidents she ended up becoming part of the pack. Once I knew we were going to keep her I decided that she would be the happiest, most well adjusted pit bull anyone had ever seen. Up until then all I had heard was the bad stuff about pits. But I was a long time dog owner and I knew with the proper care and training she would be an awesome dog. I was right. Bullys have such a desire to please humans that they will do anything for you. That is also unfortunately what makes them such good fighters. If it makes you happy they will do it. From the very beginning Nala just wanted to be with us. She was part of the pack but would rather spend her time with the humans. She excelled at obedience training until we stopped because her knees (I thought) were bothering her. In the 13 years we've had her she has always been our calmest, most relaxed dog. She loves to see us laugh and will do whatever we laugh at over and over and over. She still thinks shes a puppy and will demand to sit on your lap. She has that goofy pit smile that just melts your heart. I always felt incredibly safe with her around because not only is she scary when she barks but I knew she would do anything to protect me if it came down to that. When she was diagnosed with brain cancer a few months back my heart literally broke. I love all my dogs and losing them is always hard, but to lose my bully is going to be the toughest lose of all. I swear, if you've never had the honor of being loved by a bully you do not know what you are missing.

When I took the mail out of the mailbox today this was staring up at me:

This hit me for a couple of reasons. First, the Vick dogs hold a special place in my heart because of the amazing things that these dogs of accomplished. They are literally breaking new ground in animal behavior. Instead of just killing them outright, as is typical and what PETA and the Humane Society wanted to do, they rehabbed most of them. By turning them over to experts in the field and letting them try to save them, they learned a lot. They learned what can happen after great abuse. They learned that these dogs are not 'born' mean. They learned how much love these dogs are capable of. They learned that love and humane treatment really do go a long way.

But what really got me about the picture on the cover is, that could be my Nala.

The chest blaze is similar, the face is almost the same, the ears are goofy, and the eyes are the gentle amber of my Nala. It kills me to think of the things these dogs went through and then to think of my Nala going through that. It absolutely breaks my heart. By the same token, it does my heart good to hear so many of them have overcome their early life and are now living happy, healthy lives with new owners. The cover dog, Jasmine, is a special one though. She was apparently very traumatized by the whole ordeal and will probably never be just a normal dog again. But she has a home with people who love her and understand so she'll at least live out her days in peace.

If you get a chance to read this article I highly recommend it. It's heart wrenching and heart warming at the same time. It gives you faith in mankind.

There's a quote over the door of the Oakland Animal Services by Gandhi. It says:

THE GREATNESS OF A NATION AND ITS MORAL PROGRESS CAN BE JUDGED BY THE WAY ITS ANIMALS ARE TREATED.