We did our first official adoption of a Vick dog last Saturday. Little Dutch was grabbed up by none other than BR's ace trainer, Linda Chwistek and her husband Bill. Linda's been looking for an agility dog for ages and when she met Dutch and recognized his courage, drive and natural talent, she told us "I haven't been this excited since I tasted my first candy bar!"
Unfortunately, a specialist noted that Dutch's joints would not be able to endure the stress of the sport, so Linda sadly resigned to let him go so she can continue her search. Until she phoned us that is, to report that she wants him anyway. ha! Dutch made such an impression on these guys - and they meet hundreds of dogs every year - that they couldn't let him go. While Linda is still looking for her agility star, there are plans to give Dutch a different, less strenuous vocation (details to come). The adoption ceremony was captured by a film crew for Animal Planet and will air in August. We'll give a heads up when that happens.
Moral of the Story? Some of the most precious treasures can come from some of the darkest of places. You'll never know unless you look.
On another note, we're all feeling very grateful for a kind donation from the friends of a remarkable San Francisco resident who died last year. Micheal Keenan was a pit bull owner and all around animal lover. He ran into a burning building to save the life of his friend's jack russell terrier and later died from the burns that resulted. A Hero's Story
We were able to use the funds to help transport five AZ bust dogs from Tucson to CA. The dogs narrowly escaped a sad fate. (We're still grieving for the ones we couldn't help).
Coincidentally, one of the dogs transported is a brindle, just like this pup shown with Michael. (Movie: Joker) Much gratitude to Michael for inspiring so many to be heroes through your selfless actions. And thank you to his friends, including Leslie Hayne, for donating to the dogs in Michael's name.
