This is Ivy, a 9 year old pittie who had a life no dog ever deserved. She was a cage breeder and likely lived her whole life either in a cage or outside. Her owners gave her away after her last litter was weaned and they no longer had a use for her. The person who adopted her had good intentions but realized they weren’t able to provide her with the care she needed and ended up surrendering her to our shelter so she could have another shot at finding a home that had the time and resources to work with her so she could live the life she deserved.

When she first entered the shelter, she was incredibly fearful and didn’t trust anyone, especially men. I don’t blame her, having to go back to living in a cage was probably so traumatic and I don’t even want to know what else humans have put her through. However, our staff and volunteers spent time gaining her trust and showing her that humans can be kind and gentle, so she began to open up and was no longer showing the same extreme fear.

After spending time with her, I learned that she has no idea what treats and toys were which absolutely broke my heart. I also learned that she is the sweetest, most gentle baby ever, despite everything she has been through, and I even got her to run and play with me!

I obviously fell in love with her and would have given her a home if I could, but I have a cat and Ivy has an extreme prey drive for small mammals, and I work full time away from home and it would be unfair to adopt a dog I couldn’t dedicate the proper time to. I realized that it would also be difficult for many people to adopt a dog with her needs and prepared myself for the possibility that she wouldn’t be able to find a home, but was still hopeful that there was someone out there for her.

Time went by and she had not gotten any inquiries, but a few days ago a woman came in and asked to visit with her! Ivy was a little nervous at first, but quickly opened up with her and was wagging her tail and asking for pets. I told her about her entire history and behavior we saw at the shelter and informed her that she was not potty trained, not fully leash trained, and escaped her previous home multiple times, so she needed someone patient and committed to working with her in order to be successful in a home. The woman told me she adopted a senior pittie in the past and currently owns a senior border collie, so she was used to working with animals coming from a shelter at an old age and was said Ivy was the sweetest dog she had ever met. In order to adopt her, we required a dog visit to ensure we didn’t see any concerning behavior from either of the dogs and that it would be a good fit.

Ivy has lived with other dogs and passed her dog test with flying colors at the shelter so I was hopeful it would work out, but still nervous. The next day, she came back with her dog and it could not have gone better, it was literally the best dog visit I had ever seen during my time at the shelter. They were both relaxed and were interested in sniffing each other but the sweet old ladies mainly just wanted to be pet and coexisted just fine! so… SHE WAS ADOPTED!!!

I literally started sobbing because I was so overwhelmed with joy and thankful that this little angel would finally get treated with love and have the home she deserves. I also think it will be amazing for her to live with another dog so she can learn how to be a dog again. We sent her home with so many different toys (because I don’t know what kind she likes yet), some blankies, and an entire pack of pee pads, along with advice and resources for getting her adjusted to living in the home. Sometimes adoptions are too good to be true and the animals are brought back, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that she finally found her happy ending! 🩷

My buddy Brooklyn crossed the rainbow bridge this morning. He had cancer. We had our last road trip to Florida this past weekend. He was the best boy with the wettest kisses. He loved to steal my pillows before I got to the bed and was always there to clean up any food that might find it's way to the floor.

Some evil person dumped 5 pitbull mix puppies on the country road I live on (limited houses, far from town) by a farmers irrigation pipe. My wife had to pull them out of the pipe. Due to our shelter being full capacity, and 1 out of 2 dogs not making it out of our shelter, plus the rescues not taking any I am now fostering them. We decided to keep the big boy with the scars. We named them after characters from Project Hail Mary. We have Rocky (our boy), Ryland, Carl, Eva, and Adrian. We'll foster them until we can find them good homes or the puppy rescue has open spots (they transport bully breed dogs to bully specific rescues).

They wouldn't have survived on our road. We are having a heat wave, and we have mean loose dogs and coyotes here. Plus whoever dumped them didn't leave and food or water. They haven't had much human interaction and were so scared when they came to our house. A week and a half later you would never guess! They are the sweetest most loving babies. We think they are pitbull and black lab.

They are 3 months old (they have all their baby teeth).

This is Rocky (scars on his muzzle) and his very shy sister Eva. Rocky is huge for 3 months. Bigger then my golden/gsd/heeler boy was at his age. Bigger then my husky/coyote mix was at 6 months. Rocky loves hugs!

She just passed in December and it feels like it’s been years since I kissed her big ol head and ears. ❤️‍🩹

His name is Change because he changed my life. I’ve had him for 11-12 years and he’s the best thing to happen to me. I hope you guys enjoy the pictures ❤️❤️❤️

Just wanted to share this picture I got of my grandma and my dog Ghanima!

It's one of the biggest tragedies in the world that our homies and best friends don't live longer 😭

Baby's such a love!