CHESAPEAKE 54902: AUDIE (BAD RAP)
Dutch, the little dog who rode in Nicole Rattay’s lap for large chunks of his cross-country journey, was eventually adopted by Linda Chwistek, the BAD RAP volunteer who helped develop the group’s Canine Good Citizen program (which has more than a hundred successful graduates). Chwistek was looking for a dog with the physique and athleticism to compete in agility competitions, timed races in which dogs run through a series of gates. Dutch had originally gone to another foster, but Chwistek saw him and thought he had potential. She took him in, renamed him Audie, and set to the training, but there were a few obstacles to overcome first.
To begin with, Audie-no surprise-had some behavioral issues. He fit right in with Chwistek’s two other pit bulls, but he circled in his crate, nipped clothes to get attention, and constantly jumped up on the table or kitchen counter. An experienced trainer, Chwistek could deal with those things, but Audie’s biggest problem was something she couldn’t handle herself; he needed surgery on both knees in his hind legs. In December of 2008 Audie went under the knife, a procedure financed by BAD RAP with the money from the Vick settlement.
While Audie recovered, Chwistek worked on his basic training and he became a star not only around the house but in the small northern California town where he lives. Every morning Chwistek walks her dogs down along the waterfront, where many commuters are heading for the ferry. Audie, shy at first, has become a favorite part of the scene. With Chwistek handing out treats to people, who then fed them to Audie, he came to know a group of regulars, including Bob the newspaper guy. If Audie’s running late, many of his friends will wait for him, as if the daily “hello” from the little pit bull is a part of their morning routine they can not miss. And when Audie sees Bob, he jumps in his lap. Once a week, Chwistek and her husband, Bill, take Audie out to a restaurant, so he can learn to settle down and relax in new and different situations.
In April 2009, Audie had finally recovered from his surgery enough that he could start his agility training. Chwistek worked with him twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. She also took him to a few competitions so he could see what went on and get used to the atmosphere. The full training program usually takes a little more than a year to complete, and Audie is on track to enter his first competition in the fall of 2010.
CHESAPEAKE 54903: SOX (ANIMAL RESCUE OF TIDEWATER)
During the initial ASPCA evaluations, she was one of the worst of the low-response dogs, to the point where the team openly discussed euthanasia. She could hardly open her eyes and seemed unable to focus even when she did. However, since arriving at the home where she was fostered and then adopted, she’s done incredibly well. Like several of the other Bad Newz dogs, Sox has babesia, a bloodborne parasite that’s common in fighting dogs and can make them very ill. Veterinarians don’t know a lot about babesia because most fighting dogs don’t live long enough for them to study and work with the condition. In retrospect some of the evaluators now believe that on the day they first met Sox she was suffering through a particularly bad spike in her symptoms. In late 2009, she received her certification as a therapy dog.
CHESAPEAKE 54904: CURLY (BEST FRIENDS)
When Curly arrived at Best Friends, he was so addled by kennel stress and pent-up energy that he bounced off the walls. He jumped and ran and paced so much that he couldn’t even live in a crate, it was just too confining for him. He had no idea how to deal with people, and when caregivers entered his run he’d jump up on them and nip at their clothes to get attention. At the same time, he was a bit afraid of other dogs and preferred to go for walks at night, when he couldn’t see them and they couldn’t see him. During those excursions he was notably more confident. As he had time to relax and the staff worked with him on his manners and basic training, he calmed down. Eventually he moved into a crate and came to really love it, finding it a safe zone where he could chill out. He made friends with a few other dogs, and even had one buddy he enjoyed wrestling with, but the other dog was so much bigger that the staff didn’t like the match. After Cherry Garcia was adopted, Curly moved into an office, where he spends his time with Mya, who he continues to grow closer to. Unfortunately, his training didn’t include office manners, and he went through a period where he ate everything he could find, pulling papers off desks, tearing up cardboard boxes. He occasionally goes home with one of the staff members and does well on those sleepovers, which have helped him deal with his lingering fear of new places. There’s even a family that wants to adopt him, but he needs to pass his Canine Good Citizen test before that can happen.
CHESAPEAKE 54905: JONNY JUSTICE (BAD RAP) CHESAPEAKE 54906: SHADOW (BEST FRIENDS)
When Shadow landed at Best Friends, he was so nervous and paced so much that even with four feedings a day (double the norm) he couldn’t keep weight on. He avoided contact with people and often froze up, especially when going through doors or passing other dogs. Over time Shadow relaxed and blossomed into something of a big gangly teenager. Now close to seventy pounds, he’s clumsy and likes to snuggle himself into the smallest crates he can find. These days he shares his living space with another dog, maintains a healthy weight, and loves being petted by his caregivers.
CHESAPEAKE 54907: ZIPPY (BAD RAP)
Small and fun-loving Zippy has settled into the Hernandez household, a place filled with two other dogs and three children under the age of ten. The parents, Berenice and Jesse, have been fostering dogs longer than they’ve had kids, so the children have grown up with pit bulls and approach them without any of the prejudices most other people maintain. The two daughters, Eliana and Vanessa, roll and wrestle with Zippy in a way that would make those who don’t understand pit bulls cringe. But Zippy is great with all three kids, including Francisco, who’s only a toddler.
CHESAPEAKE 54916: MAKEVELLI (ALL OR NOTHING RESCUE)
Makevelli was one of three Vick dogs signed over to a partnership of the Georgia SPCA and All or Nothing Rescue, which is run by tattoo artist Brandon Bond. An experienced rescuer, Bond has been saving dogs since witnessing a fight at a backyard party as a teen in his native Texas. “It melted me,” he says. “I couldn’t believe people were getting pleasure out of what I was seeing.” He was so disgusted that he vowed to do whatever he could to help combat the problem. He soon adopted his first pit bull, Cain, who’s still with him. Shortly after he started All or Nothing, based in Smyrna, Georgia, and the organization has since saved more than four hundred dogs.
Bond fostered Makevelli himself and soon realized that like many of the Bad Newz dogs, Mak, as he’s called, had fear issues, especially around people. “If you opened a soda bottle next to him, he might shoot across the room,” Bond says. In particular, Mak “seemed to be afraid of large men,” Bond continues. “He loved my wife-she’s only five feet tall-and he seemed to trust people who were with other dogs, but he had a lot of fear.” Bond’s house was a hive of activity with people and dogs coming and going all the time. The scene allowed Bond to help Mak settle down by providing a stable environment with a steady cast of friends, but also to build trust and confidence by introducing a rotating cast of people and dogs. Mak adjusted, and while he still battles moments of anxiety, he has found a happy rhythm-and “a girlfriend.” Among the many animals at Bond’s house, there was a female foster pit bull named Annie Oakley that Mak took a particular liking to. “They were inseparable,” says Bond. “He hated it when she was in the other room. The poor guy had it bad.” Or the opposite.
CHESAPEAKE 54917: LITTLE RED (BEST FRIENDS) CHESAPEAKE 54918: GRACE (BAD RAP)
Another one of the dogs that made the RV trip from Virginia to northern California, Grace went home to San Diego with Nicole Rattay. Grace was adjusting well and making progress in her training, but after a year in Southern California she had no takers on the adoption front. The BAD RAP brain trust thought she might stand a better chance up north where the group had a larger reach, so Grace was shipped back to Donna Reynolds and Tim Racer, who turned to one of their ace-in-the-hole foster volunteers, Cris Cohen. Grace has spent the past year with Cris and Jen, and they’ve been impressed with her smarts even as they’ve been overwhelmed by her boundless energy. She still seems a little leery of people at times, but for the most part carries on without any problems. She gets along well with Lilly, but she and Jonny have become like two shoes in a pair. They love to play fetch and tug together, and if they could, they’d spend the entire day wrestling in the yard.
CHESAPEAKE 54919: BONITA (BEST FRIENDS)
Bonita was another dog that suffered from babesia and it compromised her immune system and made her very sick at times. She also had a lot of scars, broken or worn-down teeth, and a run-first reaction to other dogs that led her handlers to wonder if she too had been a bait dog. Like Little Red, Bonita flashed a nervous smile, although in her case it was even more endearing because she had a sort of crooked face that indicated nerve damage and made her sideways grin that much more winning and heartbreaking at the same time. She was another dog that liked to sit in any warm lap she could find. Her already problematic teeth further deteriorated and she required an operation to fix them. In February 2008, she went into the clinic for dental surgery and never woke up from the anesthesia. She’s buried at Eagle’s Rest, the cemetery at Best Friends.
HANOVER 26: GINGER (SPCA FOR MONTEREY COUNTY)
When Ginger arrived at the SPCA, she was a timid shell of an animal, greatly in need of compassion, patience, love, and understanding. In her early days Ginger clung to the safety of her crate and resisted any effort to draw her out. She had no idea what to do with common comforts for dogs, such as squeaky toys and beds. Stacy Dubuc, the woman who first fostered and then adopted Ginger, slowly introduced her to a normal existence and showed her how to enjoy the experiences available to her.
Ginger has evolved into a happy and loving dog that enjoys running in the yard, playing with toys, and eating treats. She gets incredibly excited when she sees her leash, knowing that she is either going for a ride in the car or on a walk. She loves exploring, and in the car she spends much of the time with her nose smushed against the window. Most of all, she loves curling up for a nap on the couch or taking up more than her share of the bed as she snores the night away.
HANOVER 27: HALLE (BEST FRIENDS)
One of the younger dogs in the group, Halle had no scars and no fear of other dogs. She was afraid of people at first, but she was so good with dogs that she became the dog the staff used to test other dogs. She was so calm and welcoming that she often could bring other dogs out of their shells. As she has adapted to being around people, she has become very relaxed and loves attention. Eventually one of the Best Friends caregivers who has six other dogs and a few cats took her home as a foster and she fit right in. The move sped up her progress, and in July 2009 she became the first of the Vick dogs at Best Friends to be adopted. Her new family has another pit bull and Halle gets along great with it.
HANOVER 28: MEL (BEST FRIENDS)
Mel barked when people approached, and he was making a racket in hopes of backing people off because he was afraid. But Mel loved being with other dogs, so his handlers thought they could use that to warm him up to people. They let Mel have time with other dogs only in people-heavy places, such as the offices at Best Friends. Mel’s people fears did begin to ease, but there was another problem. Mel liked to chew on stuff, including wires. So Mel’s office time had to be limited. Still, the trainers found other ways to socialize him and one staffer eventually took him home as a foster dog. He loved playing with the three dogs who lived in his new foster home and continued to get friendlier with people, but he also continued to chew, laying waste to many items in his foster home, including a brand-new couch. In time, Mel became so people-friendly that he was adopted and now lives happily in a full-time home.
HANOVER 29: OLIVER (BEST FRIENDS)
One of the surprising things about the Vick dogs has been how few of them are pure American pit bull terriers. A number were Staffordshire bull terriers and screenings have found some to include genetic imprints of everything from Italian greyhounds to whippets. Oliver looked like something else altogether. “Who snuck the Boston terrier in there?” staffers joked about Oliver, because that’s what he looked like. He had no manners when he arrived, but he learned them quickly, and caregivers helped him overcome the slight discomfort he showed around people by hand-feeding him. One of the caregivers fostered Oliver at home to provide him with an even more settled environment. In November 2009 he became the fifth of the Best Friends dogs to be adopted.
HANOVER 30: SQUEAKER (BEST FRIENDS)
It’s been one thing at a time for Squeaker. She was so stressed out by and attuned to external stimuli when she first came to Best Friends that she would spend her entire day racing along the fence line of her run. She was at this so constantly that the staff was having a hard time keeping weight on her. To decrease her energetic reactivity to the world around her, she was moved into the laundry room, a place that’s constantly occupied by only one person and filled with fresh towels and blankets. Squeaker was able to bond with the person she shared the room with, and she picked out a cozy corner of the room to call her own. With far less stimulation, she relaxed. She was always friendly to people, but soon became even friendlier, to the point that she likes to rise up on her rear legs, throw her front paws over a visitor’s shoulders, and give a hug. She plays calmly now when given time in her outdoor run and has maintained a healthy weight. She’s even become more comfortable with other dogs, regularly giving play bows through the fence and showing a desire to be with them.
HANOVER 31: JHUMPA JONES (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE/ OUT OF THE PITS)
Claimed by the Richmond Animal League, she was sent to a rescue organization in New York that had a foster arrangement in place. The foster situation fell through and Jhumpa lingered in a crate in a veterinarian’s office for months with limited interaction and enrichment. Her condition deteriorated and some members of the original evaluation team wondered if she should be put down because she was beginning to suffer. Finally, rescuer Kathleen Pierce stepped forward and took in Jhumpa. After so many months in a shelter, Jhumpa was in bad shape, but with training and steady care, she recovered. Today, she lives in Pierce’s house with a whole pack of dogs and cats and is being trained for therapy work.
HANOVER 32: UBA (BAD RAP)
Uba was the dog pictured in the New York Daily News and the New York Times under the headline PIT BULLS FROM THE VICK DOGFIGHTING CASE AWAIT FATES. He proved to be anything but a killer. Graded as ready for a foster home, he was part of the original group of thirteen dogs that took the cross-country RV trip to northern California. He was fostered there by Letti De Little, a BAD RAP volunteer who had another pit bull and a cat. Uba became great friends with De Little’s other pets and she eventually adopted him. He regularly gets together with other Vick dogs in the San Francisco area for walks and playtime. He has his Canine Good Citizen certification and now helps De Little with new foster dogs by setting a good, calm example.
HANOVER 41: HANDSOME DAN (BEST FRIENDS)
With a tawny coat and attractive features, Handsome Dan is as good-looking as they come. Like many of the other dogs he was shy and fearful of people, but he was not a barker. He tended to simply retreat and hide when approached. When left on his own he would pace or circle. Once he settled down he became one of the best overall specimens in the group, as he got along well with people, dogs, and cats. As his confidence rose he enjoyed nothing more than going for walks, during which he would almost prance like a show horse, a move that earned him a second name: Dancing Dan. He was adopted in December 2009 by a family that included a young child, and Dan bonded with the child immediately. The adjustment to his new home set off a phase in which he seemed to be reliving the puppyhood he never had-getting into things, jumping on the couch, etc.-but he has since settled into a comfortable new life.
HANOVER 42: IGGY (BAD RAP)
A very shy and shut-down dog, Iggy lives with Nicole Rattay in Southern California. Within his little world-Rattay’s house and yard-and his regular circle of friends, he’s very happy and comfortable. But the larger world remains a little too much for him, and he turns shy and fearful when he ventures out.
HANOVER 43: SEVEN (GEORGIA SPCA/ALL OR NOTHING RESCUE)
Brandon Bond placed this dog, a female originally named Aretha, in the foster home of a longtime friend, Daron James, who had worked with numerous pit bulls before. Despite her deep scars and signs that she’d been bred multiple times (she was pregnant when confiscated but lost the pups when she was spayed), she was a fearless and curious dog who responded very well to the training she received at an obedience school. James renamed the dog Seven, the number Michael Vick wears on his football jersey, as a nod to where she’d come from and an acknowledgment that he’d been lucky to come across her. “They had a great connection,” Bond said. “He saved her life, and she was a very happy dog.”
A short time later a good friend of James’s committed suicide, sending him into a state of depression that worried his friends. “The only thing that pulled him out was that dog,” says Bond. “He took all the pain in his heart and poured it into Seven. The tables turned. She saved his life.”
James eventually pulled out of his funk and committed to adopting Seven as soon as the six-month waiting period was up. He moved to Florida, where both man and dog continued to recover and rebuild. But on July 1, 2008, Seven slipped out of a fenced yard for an instant, bolted across the street, and was struck by a car. The driver stopped, helped James pick up Seven and rush her to the animal hospital. She died on the way.
HANOVER 44: HECTOR (BAD RAP)
A big brown dog with scars on his chest and legs, Hector was taken in by BAD RAP and, thanks to his sterling demeanor, he was ticketed for an organization that trains law dogs. Unfortunately, he proved to be too old to undergo the training and returned to BAD RAP. He moved among a few foster homes before landing on Cris Cohen’s doorstep. Eventually, Hector was adopted by Roo Yori, who is well-known in the pit bull world as the keeper of Wallace, a national flying disc champion.
At Yori’s home in Minnesota, Hector not only made friends with Wallace, he became part of a pack of six dogs that included Scooby, a rat terrier, and Mindy Lou, a fifteen-pound toy Aussie who ran the entire house with an iron paw. From the beginning, Hector fit right in. He romped around the house and the yard with other dogs, and in the late mornings he napped on the Yoris’ bed with Mindy Lou and Scooby snuggled up next to him. Like many of his fellow Bad Newz refugees, he proved to be a klutz-running into doors, tripping on steps, and generally flopping around-which only made him more endearing. He also showed off his mischievous streak. Hide and go seek seemed to be his favorite game, and Roo and his wife, Clara, were never sure where a missing shoe or sock would turn up.
Under the Yoris’ tutelage Hector aced his Canine Good Citizen test for a second time, passed the American Temperament Test Society exam, and received his therapy dog certification. Hector and Clara now make regular visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools to provide comfort to the ailing and to educate people about pit bulls and dogfighting.
HOPEWELL 002491: LEO (OUR PACK) SUFFOLK M-0380: ALF (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE)
A small male dog with a reddish coat and big ears who was initially very shy around people, Alf was adopted by a woman in Oklahoma who worked extensively to bring him around. After more than a year he had adjusted well and the pair started visiting schools as part of an at-risk youth program she was involved with. From the start the vets who worked with Alf knew that he had a lot of old scar tissue in his intestinal tract, which could have been the result of anything from a traumatic injury to eating rocks. In October 2009, Alf swallowed part of a rawhide, and though he was immediately taken to the vet and kept overnight for observation, a piece of the hide tore open the old wounds, and he died in his sleep.
SUFFOLK F-0381: GRACIE (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE)
She started off as Sherry, but after she was adopted by Sharon Cornett of the Richmond Animal League, she was renamed Gracie and she’s become a local celebrity. She attends conferences and meetings about animal welfare, goes into schools to help educate kids about dogs, and does anything she can to show people that they have nothing to fear from pit bulls. She’s happiest around other dogs, but has always been comfortable around people, too, and the first time she saw a couch she jumped right on it. Since then she’s spent a lot of well-earned time on the sofa.
SUFFOLK M-0382: RAY (BEST FRIENDS)
Like Curly, Ray came in bouncing off the walls. He jumped all over and grabbed at clothes. But he was very people-focused and eager to please, so his handlers corrected the behavior by leaving as soon as he started doing anything they didn’t like. Ray soon realized that he couldn’t behave this way if he wanted company-which he did-and he settled down and did well with training. A smaller dog (forty pounds or so), he has earned his Canine Good Citizen certificate and is always a favorite of people who come to visit. He almost certainly would have been adopted already, but he doesn’t get along well with other dogs and that severely limits his options.
SUFFOLK M-0383: OSCAR (BEST FRIENDS)
Oscar came in with medical issues but once he recovered physically he made up ground quickly. He had a willingness to learn and in December 2008, after a period of intense one-on-one training, he became the first of the Vick dogs at Best Friends to pass his Canine Good Citizen test. Oscar’s advance in skills was part of an increase in confidence that also helped him come out of his shell around people. Unfortunately, he doesn’t do as well around other dogs. He tolerates those he encounters in the course of his day, but he can’t live with them.
SUFFOLK M-0384: LANCE (BEST FRIENDS)
Lance arrived as one the most fearful of the Vick dogs. It took him months and months to even learn how to walk on a leash or get in a car, but he has made steady progress. Now he spends his days hanging around the Best Friends adoption office with three to five other dogs and even a few cats. He comes and goes through a doggie door that leads to a large outdoor run. He’s still cautious around strangers, but he loves to play with the people around the office and he sleeps with a group of dogs at night.
SUSSEX 2601: MABEL (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE)
Like Jhumpa Jones, Mabel was fostered out to a rescue group in New York. She moved through a number of foster homes for the first year and a half before finally settling in with one woman who plans to adopt her.
SUSSEX 2602: SWEET JASMINE (RECYCLED LOVE) SUSSEX 2603: SWEET PEA (RECYCLED LOVE)
A dog with multiple scars and an affinity for Sweet Jasmine, Sweet Pea also went from WARL to Recycled Love. She was fostered with one of the group’s experienced rescuers, a man who has successfully worked with half a dozen other pit bulls. Sweet Pea, who continued to struggle with fear issues, shared her foster home with two other dogs, a pit bull mix named Bull and a terrier named Sadie. And although she always enjoyed her get-togethers with Sweet Jasmine and never had a problem with any of the other dogs at Catalina Stirling’s house or with Bull, she once bit Sadie. As a result, she’s no longer allowed to interact with other dogs, other than Bull, but her foster caregiver continues to help Sweet Pea work through her troubles-and she’s made progress.
SUSSEX 2604: FRODO (BAD RAP)
Frodo was one of the shyest dogs that made the RV trip to Oakland, and it has been a slow climb for him. But step by step he’s becoming more confident and coming out of his shell. He gets along well with other dogs, and Kim Ramirez, who adopted him, says that in 2009 he wasn’t even afraid of the Christmas tree, a sight that terrified him a year earlier.
SUSSEX 2605: GEORGIA (BEST FRIENDS)
Georgia came in angry and suspicious. She closely guarded anything she was given and made sure to let anyone who came near know that they shouldn’t mess with her or her stuff. She didn’t have any teeth (the last of them had fallen out at Washington Animal Rescue League), but there was still little doubt that she meant business. She didn’t trust anyone and wouldn’t even look anyone in the eye.
Georgia had learned to defend her turf, but she was smart. Before long she figured out that things worked differently at Best Friends, where people were kind and no one tried to take her stuff away. If fact, when people came around they usually brought food or special treats for her. Very quickly, Georgia got with the program and her personality flourished.
She liked plush toys, so the staff gave her a giant one-it was almost half her size-and she carried it around proudly. She loved fake bones and received a steady supply. She liked to stand on top of her doghouse, so she was given one with a flat roof. She enjoyed playing with her stuff outside, so she was given plenty of time out in her run, although her water bucket had to be tied down to keep her from playing with that, too.
Most of all, she came to love attention. She has scars all over her face and one side of her mouth hangs open where her jaw had been broken, leaving her tongue constantly dangling and giving her a look that is at once fierce and farcical. No wonder she became a TV favorite, making numerous appearances, including a visit to the Ellen show. She even has a pink-rhinestone collar she wears for such occasions. All the exposure has done her some good, as someone has applied to adopt her, but according to the court settlement she has to pass her Canine Good Citizen test, which she hasn’t been able to do. Yet.
SUSSEX 2606: ERNIE (BAD RAP)
Ernie was a curious case. When the ASPCA evaluation team originally met with all the dogs, Tim Racer used Ernie as a test dog because he was so stable and calm. Whenever Racer wanted to see if one dog was friendly around others, he would trot Ernie out to test the reaction. Ernie was a trooper throughout, but once he got into the real world he struggled, reacting negatively to other dogs if he was on his leash. With time, he became more comfortable and the problem worked itself out. He’s been adopted into a home where he lives with another dog and two cats and he earned his Canine Good Citizen certification in the fall of 2009.
SUSSEX 2607: WILLIE (BEST FRIENDS)
One of the saddest and more perplexing cases, Willie came in as a mellow dog. When staffers stayed overnight with the dogs to keep them company, he was one that they most often brought out to snuggle with. But while he has made some progress in his overall training and behavior, he has also had a few incidents of aggression. He’s fearful of other dogs and incapable of living with them. One staff veterinarian at Best Friends who studies posttraumatic stress disorder thinks Willie might be suffering from the condition, although there’s also a school of thought that believes Willie may be suffering from some undetected physical ailment, and the associated pain is what’s making him lash out. Adding to the confusion is that at times, Willie is still a fun-loving, active dog who particularly enjoys car rides.
SUSSEX 2608: CHARLIE (GEORGIA SPCA)
Charlie was the only dog that went to the Georgia SPCA but did not end up with Brandon Bond. Instead he was sent to one of the SPCA’s foster volunteers. Charlie, or Chuck as he’s now called, was one of the better-adjusted dogs and he adapted quickly to life in a house. His foster family eventually adopted him and he’s doing well.
SUSSEX 2609: LAYLA (BEST FRIENDS)
When Layla arrived at Best Friends she was on edge, living in a state of hyperawareness in which she reacted to everything going on around her by barking and charging. She paced and jumped and simply did not know how to settle down. On the positive side, she was one of the least fearful Vick dogs. She would walk right up to anyone, tail wagging, and say hello. She craves attention and gets plenty of it. And now that she has calmed down, one of her favorite things to do is simply lie back and get a massage. She has not done as well with other dogs, although she can live side by side with them in crates or runs without a problem. She just can’t live with them. Around the Best Friends compound she’s a source of much joy, since of all the Vick dogs she may be the most clumsy and uncoordinated, tripping over her own feet in excitement when she sees people. Her favorite activity? Riding in a golf cart.
SUSSEX 2610: ROSE (ANIMAL FARM FOUNDATION) SUSSEX 2611: DENZEL (BEST FRIENDS)
Denzel arrived as an emergency medical case, his babesia driving him into a state of extremely poor health. He didn’t have any fear issues, but he was in and out of the clinic for months, getting blood transfusions and a constantly changing mix of medicines. Finally, the vets found a combination that worked, and he’s been in good health since. He’s learned more tricks than any other Vick dog-he’s best known for waving to visitors. And although he can’t live with other dogs and currently lives in a separate run, he’s learning to get along with them. He’s walking with other dogs without becoming agitated but he’s not yet ready for a playmate. He’s been so easy to train and so willing to work that his caregivers have high hopes for him.
SUSSEX 2612: MERYL (BEST FRIENDS)
Meryl arrived with a history of lashing out at people and a court order stating that she would have to remain at Best Friends for life. When anyone she didn’t know and trust (which was basically everyone) approached, she would glare, bark, growl, and occasionally snap. The staff realized these were defense mechanisms Meryl was using to deal with her fear. To help Meryl get over these trust issues, the staff limited her contact to only a few people. As she got to know those people and feel comfortable around them she became not just friendlier but downright loving. As those relationships built, Meryl gained confidence and eventually expanded the circle of people she could relax around. She was always friendly with other dogs and even enjoys hanging around with some of the cats at Best Friends, and today she can even deal with strangers as long as someone she trusts is nearby.
SUSSEX 2613: STELLA (SPCA FOR MONTEREY)
Stella has been friendly and enthusiastic from the start, doling out kisses and tail wags with little discretion. What she possessed in joie de vivre she lacked in basic skills-couldn’t walk on leash, wouldn’t walk through doors, didn’t even know her name. Over time, the SPCA staff and Stella’s foster family worked through most of those issues and now she’s happily settled into her foster home. She loves attention and likes playing and wrestling with her foster family’s dog, Pepper, even though she’s comically uncoordinated and clumsy while doing so. Stella also loved to hang out with fellow Vick dog Red. When she was around Red, she chased him, bumped him, and tried to entice him to play. Still, the easiest way to get Stella’s attention is to tear open a bag of food; she’ll come at a sprint to find out what it is and if she can get any.
SUSSEX 2614: HARRIET (RECYCLED LOVE)
Believed to be Vick’s personal dog, she’s likely never been fought, and because Harriet was so well-mannered and comfortable around people she received better treatment than many of the other dogs while waiting in government shelters. One attendant from the Sussex shelter remembered her well and said that she was one of the few dogs regularly taken outside for walks and exercise. Because she was so friendly and well-behaved she also received a lot more attention, with people regularly stopping by her kennel to talk and play. Despite the advantages she had over many of the other dogs, Harriet, too, showed signs of fear and kennel stress, which gives some indication of how profoundly the long stay in government care contributed to the problems all the dogs struggled with.
She was taken in by Recycled Love and went to the home of Paul DeSantis, a Baltimore lawyer who was the group’s president at the time. DeSantis has two other pit bulls that Harriet followed around like a puppy. She learned as much from the other dogs as she did from DeSantis, who worked with her on basic skills and obedience. He also took her to a nearby training facility where Harriet could participate in classes with unfamiliar dogs, and challenge herself and build confidence on an obstacle course that included bridges, slalom runs, tunnels, and teeter-totters, among other things. DeSantis has since moved to a farm in rural Maryland, where Harriet and her pals have all the room and freedom they could want.
SUSSEX 2615: TUG (BEST FRIENDS)
A big (sixty-five-pound) exuberant lug, Tug earned his name honestly-when he’s on a leash he loves to drag anyone holding on along for a ride. That little behavioral tick is far more welcome than the one he had upon arrival: compulsively licking his fence. The obsessive behavior was probably a result of kennel stress and as Tug wound down through a steady course of training, agility drills, and lots of exercise, the unwanted activity cured itself. Now he’s simply a big, goofy dog, especially around people he knows and feels comfortable with. Unless they have a camera. He’s deathly afraid of them. He’s begun working with other dogs and has done well, showing signs that he may one day be able to live with them. For now, he has his own run, where he loves to chase lizards and jump around. If any visitor is bold enough to enter his space and sit on the ground, Tug will run at them full speed, jump in the air, and land right in their lap.
SUSSEX 2616: LUCAS (BEST FRIENDS)
One of Vick’s two known grand champion fighters, Lucas is under court order to spend the rest of his days at Best Friends. He has been very sick at times with babesia, and he’s had to do a few two- or three-night stints in the clinic while vets tinkered with his medications to find something that would work.
None of that has stopped Lucas from having his fun. Confident and friendly around people, Lucas loves being the center of attention and spends three days a week hanging around the executive offices at Best Friends, where he gets to bond with the staffers who work there and meet the many people who come and go during the course of a day. He loves his toys and the dog park, a grassy two-acre field where he can run free. He can’t live with other dogs, but he doesn’t react when another dog walks by or sits close to him. He even has a girlfriend, a female pit bull that lives in a neighboring run and licks his face through the fence that separates their living areas.
SUSSEX 2619: MYA (BEST FRIENDS)
Mya was originally sent to BAD RAP, but she was so fearful that the Oakland-based rescue group felt she would do better removed from an urban environment. If she couldn’t deal with the world, how could they find an adoptive home for her? After a few phone calls between BAD RAP, Best Friends, and Rebecca Huss, it was decided that Best Friends would be the best place for Mya. (In return Iggy was sent to BAD RAP). At Best Friends she showed the same behavior toward people as she had at BAD RAP, barking defensively (and nonstop) at staff, rushing the gate of her run when anyone approached, hiding in the back of her crate when someone came to take her out and scratching at the door to get back inside the crate when she was near it. She couldn’t even relieve herself when on a leash because having a person that close made her too nervous.
Slowly, the staff built connections with her. They moved her into a manager’s office during the day, where she spent her time with Cherry Garcia, one of the calmest dogs of the bunch. The two dogs hit it off-playing in the office when the manager stepped out, nestling into a single dog bed under the desk, and even sharing chew toys without any sort of conflict-and Cherry became a role model for Mya. Before long, Mya became one of the friendliest dogs around, stopping to say hello to anyone who visited the office. After Cherry was adopted, the staff moved Curly into the manager’s office, and now Mya is acting as a role model for him.
SUSSEX 2620: ELLEN (BEST FRIENDS)
Ellen was one of the few dogs who showed no signs of fear or aggression. She was friendly and happy and would greet people with a wiggly body and a waggy tail. She preferred not to live with other dogs, but otherwise she arrived with only one flaw-she couldn’t keep her mouth shut. It wasn’t that she barked too much or showed any tendency to bite, but she wouldn’t stop eating. She was noticeably overweight. The staff put her on a diet and got her moving with regular exercise and training sessions. She slimmed down and quickly learned all her basic commands, but that doesn’t mean she stopped eating. During her time at Best Friends she’s eaten rocks, plastic, and a stuffed toy that had to be surgically removed.
SUSSEX 2621
A black-and-white female dog that had multiple scars and had been bred numerous times, she was so aggressive toward anything that came near her that she was beyond help. She was put down in October of 2007. Donna Reynolds says her one regret from the entire case was not naming this dog and giving it one day out of the kennel before it died.
VIRGINIA BEACH 27: CHERRY GARCIA (BEST FRIENDS)
Cherry arrived very fearful and shut down to the point that he refused to walk on a leash at first, but he adapted very quickly. Within weeks he figured out that no one at Best Friends was out to hurt him. He not only began walking on a leash, but he never even pulled. He also moved into one of the offices, where he acclimated to life around people and bonded with Mya, another dog who lived in the office. Cherry quickly became a staff favorite, especially because the change in him was so easy to see. He’d gone from a dog that was so visibly fearful to one that was so obviously happy. He was always excited to see people and if anyone sat on the ground, he absolutely had to sit in their lap.
In the summer of 2008 he was adopted by a family with another dog and a cat. He’s adjusted well to his new life, but he does have a few quirks that make his adoptive family a little crazy. He refuses to go to bed at night until everyone is home, and sometimes he wakes everyone up in the middle of the night because he’s up playing with the cat.
VIRGINIA BEACH 38: TEDDLES (BAD RAP)
A giant almost all white dog, Teddles was definitely not a fighter. For starters, bigger dogs generally don’t fare well in the pit, and he showed signs of having spent some time in more friendly places than an outdoor kennel. He knew how to climb steps and jumped up on a couch in a way that indicated he’d done it before. He had also been photographed standing in front of a silver Chrysler with Vick in 2001 for a story that ran in Time magazine.
Upon arriving in California he went to foster with a family that had a toddler, and the child was the one who named the dog. He was later adopted by Cindy Houser, a nurse who works with special needs children. Houser already had one large pit bull, a female named Izzy that she had saved from a backyard breeder, and she was looking for a companion dog. Teddles was a perfect match in size and temperament. It took about two months for Ted to come out of his shell, but once he did, the two dogs became fast friends, sharing a large box of chew toys and romping around their backyard like a pair of wild hyenas. In late 2009, Teddles became yet another of the Vick dogs to earn his Canine Good Citizen certificate.
VIRGINIA BEACH 46: RED (SPCA FOR MONTEREY)
Red arrived with scars and fear issues, but those were the least of his problems. The SPCA’s veterinarian found seven mast-cell tumors on his body. After surgery to remove the tumors, Red endured more than six months of chemotherapy. He began with weekly intravenous treatments that slowly tapered off. After every session, Amanda Mouisset, the woman who first fostered and then adopted him, would treat Red to his favorite delicacy: a cheeseburger.
Once he recovered from the chemo, Red went to work, helping Amanda-a trainer at the SPCA-work with aggressive dogs. Red was so gentle and relaxed, he simply sat in the training area, serving as a calming agent while Amanda and her client eased the other dog’s aggression by redirecting its focus and energy. Amanda says that while Red loved to meet new people and animals, he also seemed to be able to sense whether others were nervous around him. If he got that feeling, he just sat calmly until they were comfortable. Red shared his new home with two children, two dogs, and a cat, and his favorite place in the world was right in the middle of Amanda’s bed, where he slept between Amanda and her husband every night.
In November 2008, vets found another tumor in Red’s body. It was removed quickly and he seemed to be doing well. But in March 2010 two more tumors appeared, one in his brain and another in his neck. Amanda and her family did what they could to keep him comfortable and on April 5 he succumbed to the cancer.