Weekly Photo Challenge: Victory…the victory of love

This week, Krista is challenging us to show a photo that depicts “Victory.”   A few years ago, we fostered several pit bulls from a wonderful rescue, For the Love of Pits.  Our younger daughter was interested, but my husband was very uncertain about doing this, so the first victory was just convincing him let us give it a try.  Once that hurdle had been cleared, we were on our way to a most rewarding adventure, one partly of learning that many things people think they know about these animals are myth.

Our second victory was taking on, at different times, two lovely and loving dogs who now have forever homes. These two photos are of our second foster dog, Annabelle.  Rescued from a dog fighting ring and sporting plenty of scars, she went from a hungry-for-love, yet hesitant about what to expect from life and people dog, to one of the sweetest dogs you’ll ever meet.  The first photo is from right after we got here, the second after life had been more kind to her.

They might win any photo contests, but then love is hard to measure and quantify.  Because I think I’m confusing people, these two shots are both of Annabelle: the first right after we got her (you can see her scars), the second after she’d had time to settle in and relax with us.  Here are some photos of our first dog, Janie, if you’re interested.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Enveloped…rescued

“Enveloped” is the theme for the Weekly Photo Challenge this week.  This is Anabelle, our second rescue foster pit bull, enveloped by a blanket, something she loved.  She was also enveloped with love while she was living with us.  For the Love of Pits located in Cleveland, Ohio, is the wonderful group that rescued her and she’s available for adoption if you want a dog that will love you with all her sweet heart.

Friday Fictioneers…Rescue

Friday Fictioneers: One photo. One hundred words. One story. Any one author.

copyright Dawn Landau

Rescue

Shiiit, I don wanna go to no juvie, so I figure this volunteer thing be what I have to do. Dog rescue be good. Maybe I find me one a them Rottie dawgs or them pit bulls. Then nobody be messin’ wit me!

Trouble is, dat dawg I find be hurtin’ from bein’ made ta fight. She all skinny and stuff and lick ma face ‘n all. All she be wantin’ is some luv. Shiiit! Make me wanna cry ‘n I cain’t be doin’ that! They help me keep her. Now she follow me everywhere. I guess we a lot alike.

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This story is dedicated to Janie and Annabelle, the two rescue pit bulls we fostered and would have adopted had we been able to do so at the time.  You can find more posts and photos of them by clicking on “Animals” in the Categories part of my blog.  And a big shoutout to For the Love of Pits, the amazing organization near Cleveland, Ohio that does such stellar work!  They and their dogs are changing the hearts and minds of people and dogs every day!   You guys rock!!

Want to read more stories? Click below.

The dog days of Christmas

Our first Christmas season with a dog, we were just starting to foster Janie.  One of the first days she was at our house, while trying to get to the window to bark at a dog outside, she vaulted up onto a sideboard filled with Christmas decorations while only our older daughter was at home.  It’s a good thing I wasn’t home or there wouldn’t have been enough Christmas love to overcome that!  🙂  She had personality and energy plus, was incredibly athletic,  and we loved her dearly.   She’s in a forever home now with her very own family.

Friday Fictioneers–Requited Love

Friday Fictioneers is a weekly fun-fest that consists of writing a 100-word
story, poem or introduction to a story
  based on a picture prompt posted by Madison Woods.
This week’s intriguing picture is by Lora Mitchell.
If you’d like to read or join in, click on the little link at the end of this story and get ready for some fun.

Just Janie, part 1

“I’m going to come home one night and she’ll bite me,”  Bill grumbled.   That was his reaction to the news that we were foster family to a rescue pit bull named Janie.

Annabelle gone

The living room looks so big without the extra crate and dog bed, no chew toys scattered on the floor, our younger daughter’s bedroom even larger without the prison crate.  There are no food and water bowls in the kitchen any longer.  It’s so quiet.  But even more obviously missing is the extra bit of joy that Annabelle brought into our lives for these last several months.

What I learned from fostering pit bulls

Janie

Besides what I learned just from fostering a dog, (previous post), these are things I learned from fostering pit bulls.

Anabelle away from home

You never know how dogs and children will do away from home and last week, we had a chance to find out, at least for the former! Our younger daughter’s spring break came round and we were off to visit my husband/her dad. Unfortunately, our rental house has a no-pet rule so we needed to find someone to watch Anabelle. (Just FYI, Annabelle has morphed into Anabelle because that’s the spelling that Shana, who runs For the Love of Pits, http://www.fortheloveofpits.org/, prefers. Same sweet dog.) It’s hard to find someone to watch a dog because most people who like dogs already have one or more and boarding one not only costs a lot but the conditions are often less than ideal, especially for a dog who’s lived under emotional and physical deprivation as so many rescue dogs have.

United’s unfriendly skies–for pit bulls and others

United has decided that they’re getting on the breed specific legislation boat just when most other people and places, with some notable exceptions (read about some here….https://sustainabilitea.wordpress.com/2012/03/09/beyond-the-myth-a-film-about-pit-bulls-and-breed-discrimination-2/), are jumping off that boat in record numbers.