We got notice yesterday that we are finally, officially Lucy's guardians. The application process was a long one, and it included reference letters, changing of homeowners insurance companies - all of that. I have to thank our refs for this process - they were critical in helping us bring Lucy home permanently! Cheers go out to Jessica, Cherish, and Eric for their kind words and never-ending support!
I wanted to give you the background that we got on Lucy just the other day - it really starts in a shelter in Pasco, WA because before the shelter, we don't know where Lucy was. In early May 2007, the shelter in Pasco found itself in a very bad spot: 150 dogs were being housed in the shelter, and they couldn't get them adopted fast enough before another group came in. The did not have a license to euthanize, so they put a call out to area shelters and rescue organizations to take dogs - free of charge - to alleviate the overcrowding. Puppies, elderly dogs, and special needs were really suffering because of this; their shelter wasn't built to hold nearly this many dogs, and even though they were refusing owner abandonments, they still had to accept dogs brought in by animal control.
Carina from Animals First Foundation called and said she had room for 2 dogs - and the woman in Pasco was given the task of picking out two dogs for rescue. She was giving as many dogs away as possible, but she would not send out pit bulls because they are so difficult to place. Carina urged her to pick out a pit bull - there must be one in there that can be saved - and after a bit of searching and temperment testing, she pulled out Lucy. Here are the pictures of little Lucy at Pasco before AFF picked her up.
She's grown an awful lot in the last 4 months. Since we picked her up in mid-July, she's put on 5 - 7 pounds already, and she's starting to bulk up in her shoulders and her head. Her legs are already incredibly muscular and although she doesn't have a classic pit bull body, she's still got a wicked looking mouth if you're on the receiving end of a nip. She graduated from her first obedience class yesterday, and maybe once she's really mastered all of these things, she can go back for some more advanced work.
But for now, I try to never turn my back on her in the yard - anywhere that she can pick up speed, really - she's got a leap of a frisbee dog and can knock me over in a flash. We're hoping she'll be great at frisbee one day (if she doesn't eat it first), if we can ever let her off-leash. That said, I think we're resigned to the fact that she will probably never go to the off-leash park to play. I can't remember ever seeing a pit bull of any kind at the park, and now that I know the breed a little better, I know why. You can't leave them alone, because they can't be allowed to make their own decisions. They are too smart and too strong, and other dogs just love to pick fights (pits stare, and that's class-A provocation for just about any dog). So we're happy to take her to the lake and maybe one day to the beach or hiking in the mountains. And who knows, maybe one day it'll be different.
She and Grendel are getting along just fine, and they seem to be sharing things quite well, from the occasional shared snack to their chew toys. Grendel, despite being covered with allergy breakouts (and a severe loss of hair) is more energetic than he's been in a long time. I have to think some of that is the new girl in town.
I can't believe it. It's been a year since we brought Lucy home, and 6 months since I lost Grendel. I can't imagine our home without her, but still I can't believe my little man has been gone that long. His urn's still sitting next to the computer, waiting for us to decide if we're putting him into the foundation of the house (long story, ask next time) or if I'm going to parcel him out to friends to spread everywhere.
