Bruno and Winnie

First we adopted Winnie from a fantastic shelter in Soho named Animal Haven. She lit up our lives with her friendliness and laid-back personality. We thought when we took her home that she was a black lab mix- but soon people on the street kept stopping us to see our Staffie-mix! At first we were hesistant to accept that she might be a pit-bull of some sort, but the more I learned about pit bulls, the more I wanted her to be one. By the time we got her DNA test back (Wisdom Panel $69) we were so happy to see she was 25% Staffie.

The more I learned, the more sad I became. I learned how many pit bulls were dying every day on Urgent Part 2, which I found through another blog. I followed the dogs that were in the "TO BE DESTROYED" folder for only two weeks before I found a dog we HAD to foster.

Here is what caught my attention- and is to this day the most amazing volunteer memo I have seen:
"11/10/2010 WEB MEMO
A Volunteer Wrote: There is nothing, not one thing, that isn't completely, crazily lovable about this extraordinary dog. He has hearts drawn on his kennel card, for goodness sake!!!! Everyone, men and women alike, swoon over this 2 year old. "What a beautiful dog!" said one vet tech walking by, who then of course had to stop and pet him. Because he is THAT impossible to resist. Our beloved Bruno, who adores other dogs and is the diplmat of his ward, eliciting kisses from all the other dogs through the bars, was found tied up on the street. Now, he is quickly running out of time at the shelter, which makes us absolutely crazy with sadness. Bruno, who is leashtrained, appears housetrained, loves to snuggle and curl up and give kisses and just hang out with human and canine companions, could be a diplomat in the world, not just his ward. PLEASE, don't let this extraordinary dog down. He is one of those pups who will change the lives of everyone around him with his love, generosity, and noble spirit."

That is how we happened upon our second Pittie- Bruno. A dog I knew within days we would never give away. He was so needy and helpless at first- the way he climbed under the covers to be near our feet at night and sat by the shower while we were in it- he never wanted to be away from us. As time went on, Bruno became more confident (albeit also more difficult), but we couldn't be happier with the little family we have made. (Read more about bringing Bruno home, here.)

To see blog entries about Bruno, click here, and Winnie, click here.


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