You Never Know What You Are Gonna Get
by admin
It was 2008. I had been doing rescue for some time, and when AARF received an emergency plea from a local Vet, I couldn’t pass up the chance to help.
I arrived at the Vet’s office and told them I was there to pick up Dogwood. The staff named her this after the tree they found her tied to outside of their office that morning. (Sadly, this happens to vets all the time and they don’t have the resources to find them homes.)
Upon my introduction, the receptionist’s face lit up. She bolted from behind her desk and gave me an enormous hug while telling me that they were so glad I had agreed to help. It didn’t take me long to see why she was so grateful.
Within minutes, I was questioning my decision…
They opened the door to the exam rooms and an ENORMOUS, 80-ish pounds of muscle barged into the room. She ran straight to me, jumped up and put both paws on my chest… leaving a trail of slobbery excitement in her wake. The force knocked me off of my feet and I fell backwards onto a row of waiting room chairs.
Far from the “experienced dog rescuer” image I had imagined for myself, I quickly forced myself off of the ground and decided to exert my dominance. I was certain I could control Dogwood if I braced myself and wrapped her leash tightly around my hand until she was securely within a few inches of me. Instead, I further convinced the staff of my incompetence when she immediately jerked my arm towards the door and I had time only to shout a quick, “thanks for taking care of her!” as she dragged me like a rag doll towards the car.
Dogwood came home with me that day and joined my pack of rescue dogs. She immediately fit right in. After taking some time to settle in, she calmed down – and with training, she grew into an amazing companion with a huge heart.
Blue, a little Cattle Dog, became her best friend (his story to come soon). She followed him everywhere… including over the fence. One day in particular the two of them gave me quite the scare when I let them out for their morning relief. After I finished dressing, I went to let them in and they were nowhere to be found. After searching for a couple of hours, I went home and cried, totally defeated. Several minutes later I heard a scratch at the door; I opened it to see Blue and Dogwood sitting on my back stoop, Dogwood with an enormous stick of beef jerky dangling from her mouth, the package still attached! (There was construction going on several houses over and I am betting a construction worker was missing half his lunch that day. Sorry dude!)
Dogwood was the first Pit Bull mix I ever fostered. Our best guess is that she was mixed with Mastiff. She taught me to love the breed. She was gentle with every dog and every person she ever met (after our initial encounter, of course).
