Duke is on the left
Pit bull Needs a home! This is a common e-mail and phone call that we get, everyday from dog owners and nice people who rescue dogs independently. Sometimes, the dog was bought or adopted as a puppy and now the owner has fallen on hard times or the dog as an adult is giving the owner a “hard time” and can’t control the dog. Both are frequent calls to rescue pit bull dogs. Our answer is usually no. No, we can’t take your dog but we can help you either re-home your dog or help you connect with your dog so that you can keep him. When I got a call from Sonny, an independent rescuer of 40 years +, the situation was a little different.
She brought Duke down to our kennel last Saturday. What I noticed immediately was how calm and connected he was to Sonny. I talked to her about why she needed to place Duke and I quickly understood the dire circumstances. Duke had been rescued from a shelter where he was scheduled to be euthanized. Sonny rescue him almost two years ago. During that time, she lost her job, is in the process of losing her home, and her rescue funds as well as personal funds are gone. She has nowhere for Duke to live as of next month. She is trying to sell her home before it goes into foreclosure. This is a woman who has dedicated her life and spent most of her life savings on rescuing animals. She needs a surgery and won’t be able to put off her own medical needs off anymore. Sonny needs our help in placing Duke.
Duke is a good dog, very well trained but he is a 5 year old American Pit bull Terrier. Anyone who has rescued or adopted a pit bull understands, I don’t need to write anything else after that sentence. For those of you who might not understand what I mean here, a 5 year old rescued APBT has a very slim chance of ever being adopted if the dog has any issues and Duke does.
He has transverse aggression, only in certain circumstances. After listening to Sonny describe the situations she has put Duke in, I understood why he might have acted out aggressively. The best of handlers can’t control two rescued male pit bulls off leash that want to attack other dogs. If someone was to adopt Duke and he was going to be an only dog and an on-leash always dog, living a nice quiet life, he would never have another aggressive episode with a dog again. In fact, while on leash with me, he didn’t bark, growl or even whine when two small dogs passed us on the street. He is really looking for a leader that he can follow.
He is quiet, house trained, calm, obedient, and needs a home within two weeks. Please help us help Sonny. Contact me at lori@modernica.net if you are interested in DUKE.