HAPPILY EVER AFTER
WALTER THE ELDER BULL Walter’s mom, Lynn Ready, says, “Walter was found abandoned and wandering the streets of Steubenville, Ohio, in a rough neighborhood. The shelter where he ended up was not allowed to adopt out Pit Bulls (they’re euthanized), but a friend there managed to get him out of the shelter and give him to me. I wasn’t intending on adding another dog to our pack, but Walter turned out to fit in very nicely with our family. Our vet thinks he is at least ten years old and pretty hard of hearing (deaf ). It became evident quickly that Walter was very obedient, gentle, and friendly with all people and dogs he met. So I decided to see if he would be able to pass the Canine Good Citizen and Therapy Dog International tests. In only a few short months, he did! He now works as a therapy dog doing work with kids in local libraries, visiting residents at an assisted living facility, and [participating in]various events for the local shelter—the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society. Walter busts stereotypes every day by showing people that you can rescue an old Pit Bull and still have a terrific family pet!”
photo courtesy of Lynn Ready
SPARTACUS THE WONDERBULL Spartacus the Wonderbull’s mom, Amy Brakhane, says, “Spartacus was starved and abused and then dumped at the shelter. He was so weak he couldn’t stand or walk on his own. Spartacus was so skinny that his hip bones stuck out, and the vet said that he was very sick and needed medical care. So the shelter found a wonderful foster mom to take him in and get him healthy. The day we went to the shelter we starting talking to one of the animal control officers about Pit Bulls. As we were getting ready to leave, I saw a lady walk in with a Pit Bull puppy that was so skinny, you could see his ribs and hip bones. I couldn’t help but love him when he came up to me. The lady (foster mom) said she couldn’t keep him because the other dogs she had were showing aggression toward him. We adopted Spartacus on the spot and brought him home to meet the other 3 dogs in our family. It was love at first sight for all four of them! Spartacus the Wonderbull now has his own Facebook page and shares his love with others."
photo by Amy Brakhane
The American Dog Magazine | Spring 2012 93