Sandy
Success Stories
Sandy
PA - 2015
Before I adopted Sandy, I was like most of the general public - brainwashed by the media that they were "bad" dogs that only "bad" people had - anyone who owned one of "these dogs" was a horrible person, and any parent that had the audacity to allow one of "these dogs" around their children should have DYFS called on them.
And then I actually MET a pitbull. Ten of them, actually.
A friend (Brenda) of a friend (Jackie) had Sandy's mom, Brownie. Brownie had 9 puppies, and my friend Jackie was getting one. She kept BEGGING me, "Come see the puppies!" And my response was always the same: "I don't want a pitbull!!" This went on for weeks. "Come see the puppies!" "I don't WANT a pitbull!!" Finally, though, I gave in (mostly just to shut her up) ... I walked into Brenda's living room and there were nine 5-week-old puppies stumbling around like they were drunk. It was a sea of cuteness; I could barely stand it. There was one little puppy - the runt of the litter - that kept circling around me and walking between my legs. I noticed she had a collar on, which meant she was claimed for somebody, but I figured it couldn't hurt to give this little pup some lovin'. I picked her up and she snuggled into me immediately. Brenda's daughter walked over to me and said, "oh, this one's not claimed, the collar's on the wrong dog!" I looked at Sandy, then at Jackie, and she said, "you realize you just got a puppy, right?" "But I don't want a-" "You REALIZE you just got a puppy, RIGHT?" I sighed and nodded. "I just got a puppy ..."
The puppies weren't weaned yet, so I had a week to do some research on these blood-thirsty beasts. And a funny thing happened ... I realized the media is full of crap. And I was reminded of a lesson I had learned long ago: NEVER judge an entire group on the actions of some members of that group ... and never judge anyone or anything based on anything other than your OWN experience with them.
I had dogs growing up (an Old English Sheepdog named Willie and a Bichon Frise named Snowflake), and I can honestly say that pities are, by FAR, the best breed I've ever had the pleasure of being owned by.
I'm a cancer survivor and now live on a fixed and modest income. As a result of my cancer, I'm vigilant about checking both myself and my dogs for any signs of the disease. I give both Sandy and her sister-from-another-mister, Rosie, full body massages daily. It's a great way to bond with them, and lets me notice any spots or lumps right away. About a month ago, I noticed what looked like a cut on Sandy's side. I kept an eye on it to see if it healed, but it didn't. When a second lump appeared near it about 2 weeks later, I made an appointment for her to have both lumps biopsied right away. Thankfully, the tumors were benign!
Thank you SO MUCH, Brown Dog Foundation, for helping to ease the financial burden on me and allowing me to keep my Sandy Girl healthy!! :-)
