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>Hello
>
> Home Fur Ever is a no kill animal rescue.  We have been
> rescuing homeless and abandoned dogs for over 7 years and
> and adopting them to good homes.  We have a problem with one
> of our dogs that we rescued over 7 months ago.  Charlie is
> his name and he is a pit mix or maybe even a full pit.  He
> was locked in a closet from the time he was 5 weeks old from
> his previous owners.  When he wasn't in the closet, he
> was kept locked in the basement and was shoved down the
> basement steps with brooms and long sticks.  He is a little
> over a year old now.  We didn't rescue him until his
> mental damage was already done.  When we got Charlie away
> from his awful situation he went into a foster home with a
> family that he adores.  Charlie absolutely loves the people
> he trusts.  Over the past 2 months he has bit 2 people.  It
> seems as though his his aggression is fear based.  He is not
> a vicious dog by any means.  He is not trusting of all
> humans, by no fault of his own.  We
>  sent him to be evaluated by a lady in Fowlerville and she
> said she deemed him unadoptable.  We are not willing to give
> up on this guy.  We are in the business of rescuing dogs and
> if we have to put him to sleep, I will feel we have failed
> him.  After all these years of finding homeless dogs on the
> streets of Detroit we have never had to euthanize a dog.  Go
> figure a human being is responsible for making Charlie the
> way he is.  He enjoys playing in his baby pool and likes to
> play fetch.  Unfortunately, as this time, knowing his
> unpredictable behavior around some people, we cannot safely
> adopt him out.  Do you think you can help with him or is
> this something you don't think you can help with?
> Please let me know.  We are trying to exhaust all of our
> options for this poor soul.
>
> Thank you
> Colleen
> Home Fur Ever volunteer

 

 

Followed by Charlie's evaluation from a specialist.  Here it is:

 

 

 

 

 

I had to try and help Colleen and Charlie, but I also had to agree with the evaluation - all of it except the part about killing Charlie, that is.  And so at personal moral, legal and financial risk, I took this dog into my home and into my life ~ the bulk of the story is familiar to some.

 

The whole story from then to now will still be available and I will leave a link to it, but now is time to talk about the conclusion to the story. 

Mr. Charlie has been happily living with his new family for the last 2 months.

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you have followed the story thus far, or better yet, are one of the players involved, then without further BS from yours truly, I present Charlie and his new pack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, now that you've seen it, a little explanation is in order.  Charlie went to live with Chris around 2 months ago.  I did not want to immediately post about it and claim success - ok, so well maybe I did, but I decided to wait and make sure it was working out before I jumped the gun and had something bad happen or had to take Charlie back.

 

Charlie isn't back, he is now a valued part of a family that never owned a dog before.  Really, I could call it a miracle.  But the miracle is not what you might think, that Charlie is in a great home with a loving family or anything I did with Charlie.  The real miracle in this whole story is that Charlie ever made it to me alive.

Think about today's society and the odds of a pitbull surviving after a few violent incidents, including a serious injury to a senior citizen.

 

Everything else that has gone on in Charlie's life, including my involvement, is gravy after that.  There is a lot more to the story, and it will be forthcoming, but a little explanation about the video above.

I arranged to meet Chris & co. in a parking lot well known to us and right outside a local corporate pet superstore.  I wanted to just observe and report, as it had been several weeks since Charlie left and I wanted to see with my own two eyes how things were going.

 

I managed to hide myself in a little parking island between a light post and some bushes.  Chris, Alexis and Charlie walked around a bit, met some other people and a dog and were ready to leave.  I was observing the whole thing and getting pretty emotional about it - it was obvious that Charlie's story was going to end in success and victory, when finally Chris got sick of waiting for me and went to leave.

 

So I stood up and yelled out and that's when he saw me and got back out and that's where the first video there starts.  Of course, Charlie's good behavior and self restraint are evident, but what sticks out to me is that when the finally get close to me and I pop out as a surprise to Charlie - the reaction he gives.

His instant reaction is to defend his family, give a warning and come forward to get between Chris, Alexis and this new threat.

Of course, he sees it is me and the story has a happy ending.  But the reaction, not of fear but of confidence, self control and acting in defense of his new pack.  It just gives me the warm fuzzy feeling I didn't think I'd ever get from watching Charlie being handled by someone else.

 

Here is the next few minutes of that very same day, around the middle of November:

 

 

 

 

And so next thing is to throw another dog into the mix and see how Charlie behaves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, not a completely fair or random test because of course Charlie knows and loves Peanut, but still graphic evidence of using play and tug of war to help teach a dog manners and responsibility.  I got many emails during my time with Charlie, some good and supportive, many critical and some just nasty.  One in particular struck a chord ~ a guy said it was "unfair" to let the dogs play tug.

 

Which of course makes me think that his guy would ask a fish not to swim or ask water not to be wet.  Pitbulls tug, to ask them not to me, in my humble opinion, is what is not fair.

They know the difference between fighting and play, and if they don't, then you teach them.  But they are capable of learning it, and it helps to socialize the dogs and keep them from trying to kill each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know 2 pitbulls for sure that don't think there is anything unfair about playing tug.  And as a human and pack leader, I know it gives me more control over the dogs.

 

Which will bring me to my final point for this update - I am typed out and will continue to update in the future, but my message is this:

Teach your pitbull manners and tolerance, don't ruin it for everyone.  Your pitbull should tolerate anything a child does to it, period. 

Here is an example of what I mean:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have more thoughts on this and will add more in the future.  I have several journal entries of the last few days with Charlie and of his first few days in his new home.  I will share those, but no promises as to when.   But I had to update everyone who has followed Charlie's progress thus far and to particularly say thanks to Chris, Alexis and most of all Colleen, at Home Fur Ever animal rescue, for not giving up on Charlie, seeing value in his life, and making this success story possible!!

 

As I sit here typing this, I feel great pride and satisfaction at being able to be a part of Charlie's story - it may wind up being the great accomplishment of my life - and I look on either side of me and can't wait to see where Mad Max's story goes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But that is a different story for a different day, as of now I am glad to have been able to share this much of the story so far............

 

To go back to the beginning of Charlie's story, click here:   CHARLIE, PART I

 

To go read about Mad Max and our adventures together, click here:   MAD MAX, PART 1

 

To view Charlie at mealtime with 4 other dogs, click here:  DINNER TIME