About a month after Drew and I got married, I was taking Bunkin for a walk around our apartment complex when I noticed a female black pitt bull pup sleeping under a parked taxi cab. She perked up as Bunkin and I walked closer and I saw that she had no tags or collar. I bet down to get her attention and she bounded over to me. She was super hyper and not the least bit fearful. It was obvious that she hadn't any sense at all regarding people or traffic. I couldn't leave her there and I didn't trust her to follow me home without darting off, so I picked her up and carried her home haphazardly in one arm while keeping a tight grip on Bunkin's leash with the other. She wasn't a light load and I had to keep hiking her up, but she didn't protest at all. I could already tell what a sweet-natured dog this was.
Once we got inside and I filled Drew in on the situation, we took a closer look at her. She was rather dusty, but seemed to be in good shape. She needed a name, but we didn't want to get attached so we just called her Girl. We figured she was maybe 4-6 months old judging by her appearance and super playful demeanor. After giving her a bath, we spread out a blanket and played on the floor for a while. She was the sweetest thing, but we knew we couldn't keep her.
I knew that we were required by law to turn Girl in to the animal control facility for the county in which we found her. I also knew that if she belonged to someone, this was the best chance she had at being reunited with her owner. I really didn't want to turn her in, but we didn't know what else to do. This was before I had any connections in the rescue world, so I knew no one who could help us. None of our friends or family were interested in a dog at the time. Our apartment had breed restrictions against pit bulls and a 25 pound weight limit, both of which she clearly violated. In addition to that setback, Bunkin was definitely not a fan of the rambunctious vibe Girl brought into the house.
I didn't know what else to do. I put Girl in the car and drove to animal services. I brought her in and explained that I'd found her as a stray and that she was very friendly and would probably make a great family dog. The woman at the desk looked at me like I was crazy and gave me the paperwork to fill out. I left quickly before I changed my mind.
I made myself get in the car and drive away, but I felt so bad. Everything I had read said that this was the right thing to do, but I felt terrible. Girl had looked so scared and sad when I left. I called animal services to check on her and to ask if I could come back and get her. The woman explained to me that the county does not adopt out pitt bulls to individuals, but that their only chance at getting out was to be pulled by a rescue group. I asked if she would be ok and the woman told me that turning in a pitt bull is "basically signing their death warrant".
The tears poured. I blamed myself. I told myself I would have found some way to make it work, some way to keep her or find her a home if I had known this would be her fate otherwise. I felt that I'd wronged her, as though it would have been better to have let her keep sleeping under the taxi cab where I found her. Now she was condemned because of me.
I don't know what I thought it would accomplish, but I called animal services the next morning to check on Girl again. I figured I was probably just torturing myself at this point, but to my sheer astonishment the woman I was speaking with told me that a rescue group had come through that morning and had chosen to take Girl. I didn't believe the woman. I repeated what she had said and then asked if she'd told me that to make me feel better or if it really was the case. She promised Girl was safe.
Still skeptical, I called back later that afternoon and spoke with someone else. I knew the previous woman had been startled by how upset I was and I wanted to speak with someone who would have no reason to give me a fairy tale ending. Much to my surprise, relief, and extreme delight, I got the same story. Girl had indeed been pulled by a rescue group.
At first I didn't know what to take away from this ordeal. I'd done everything I could at the time, yet it could've ended so badly. I don't know which rescue group Girl went with, but I'm so thankful for them. Drew and I will never forget this happy little dear nor the complicated lesson we learned as a result: while the realities of animal control may be difficult to face, it is full of people who care and who work so hard to make the best out of difficult situations. I am so grateful for those people; they work closely with rescue groups and the resources they're given to save as many lives as they can. It's because of them that Girl was granted a second chance.
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