During my morning hop through the blogosphere, I learned that today is National Dog Fighting Awareness Day, and feel compelled to contribute.
I’ve never known any fighting dogs, and until recently, I didn’t really know any pit bulls very well. I’ve been a fan of Pit Bulls and Parolees since it started, and I’ve been working on a novel for a few years that prominently features fighting dogs. At first, I gave a main character a pet pit bull, but my fascination with the Michael Vick case led me to broaden the storyline to include dog fighting and pit bull rescue. And that’s led me to go out of my way to make friends with some pitties.
In the past few weeks, I’ve been hanging out with Maverick, a pit mix at my local shelter. I think he’s a really special dog. I love the way he smiles at me, and he knows how to have a good time in the play yard. But I fear that every day that goes by with him spending most of his hours in a kennel, the less adoptable he becomes. He needs lots of attention and consistent reward-based training. So far, I’ve been working on teaching him his name.
Yesterday, there were two dogs barking at us from the adjacent play yard, and a little girl walking a teeny tiny dog on the other side of the fence. Maverick looked very interested in all of the dogs and not remotely aggressive.
In case you missed it, here are a few of my posts about volunteering at the Humane Society of Skagit Valley:
- New Doggie Friends features a picture of Junior, who may be a Dogo Argentino. Very lovable boy who has since been adopted by some lucky family.
- Five Doggies Looking for New Best Friends features a video of my buddy Maverick playing with a rope toy.
And here’s another video of ol’ Mav, this time with a floppy disc.
This post is part of a special Dogs n’ Pawz Tuesday’s Tails Blog Hop dedicated to raising awareness about dogfighting and special bullies in need of adoption. Cohosted by Lola the Pitty, Barking from the Bayou, Talking Dogs Blog, and Love is Being Owned by a Husky.
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Kari Neumeyer 
Thanks so much for linking up with us today!
That is one gorgeous pup and I am so glad you shared him with the world today! Paws crossed!
PS I am a new follower!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Maverick is a beauty and I empathize with your concern about all that shelter kennel time. So glad you joined the special Tuesday’s Tails blog hop today. I’ll be sharing your post.
Maverick is adorable!! I hope he gets out of the shelter soon. I’ve only known one Pit mix myself, when I had a pet sitting business. She was a rescue and was just the quietest, sweetest girl you could imagine.
I love that you hang out with Maverick while volunteering at the shelter – that’s so great! All shelter dogs (particularly the high-energy breeds like pitties) NEED that socialization and exercise. I used to work (and currently volunteer) at a humane society, where I met lots of friendly pits…prior to working there, I had never known a pit bull before and was rather wary of them because of all the bad media they get. However, I have NEVER had a negative experience with pits…they are extremely goofy, sweet dogs. Thanks for sharing…I will share Maverick! 🙂
Maverick is lovely, sharing your post.
Sheba.
Maverick is a cutie and a half. I’m in the UK so was unaware of national Dog Fighting Awareness Day but what a great post, thanks for bringing it to our attention.
Hugs, Carrie (Myfie, Ellie and Millie) x
Thank you to everyone for sharing this post. Think of it as a favor to Rob, Mia, and Leo, too, because if someone doesn’t take Maverick home, I might have to adopt him myself!
Oh, I hope that Maverick gets a good home soon! He looks like such a sweetie! ❤
With so many posts about dogs, you have officially become my favorite A to Z blog. 🙂 One of my fur babies is a pit bull mix, and she is the sweetest thing. Of course I didn’t know she was a pit when I adopted her as a squirmy pup, but while that might have given me pause back then, I wouldn’t trade her for the world now. It’s funny because just yesterday my sister posted a link on my FB page of a song called the Pit Bull Blues about how misunderstood the breed it. Makes me sad.
Hope you’re having fun with the A to Z challenge,
Jocelyn
Wow, thank you so much. Guess I’ve found my niche! Seems I don’t run out of things to say about dogs.
I’ve been blogging a while, and sometimes it’s hard to tell if anyone out there is reading, so I really appreciate your comment. Especially since it’s so complimentary. 🙂
I just saw that Pit Bull Blues video today, too!
Thanks for sharing this post about Maverick and promoting National Dog Fighting Awareness Day. I love the video!
What a little cutie that Maverick is! Thanks for posting this… 🙂
Maverick is beautiful! Thanking the blog hop today and sharing Maverick. Paws crossed he finds a forever home soon.
Pitties are the best, so loving and sweet! I am sure your novel will be wonderful, especially if it features pibbles!