Game Dog Guardian. It’s Our Turn To Fight For Them.

What is your highest education level: high school dropout or GED? 

This question makes me laugh, particularly when I think of the school debt we have accumulated.  Trevor and I both finished high school, attended college and went on to graduate school.  Trevor received his Juris Doctorate in 2005 and I received my Masters of Criminal Justice in 2004.

Have you been in prison most of your life or do you have a day job?

No prison.  Yes, we both have day jobs.  Trevor works as a criminal defense attorney and I write grants for a social service agency.

Do you keep your dog chained up in the backyard or locked in the basement?

Funny you ask, Bo’s crate is actually in what is considered the basement.  But he’s only in there when we leave the house.  No, our dogs are our family.  They are present in every part of our lives.  We enjoy playing with them and watching their antics. All 3 dogs have such distinct personalities.  They make us laugh every day.  Stevie, Cash and Bo all enjoy “helping” with whatever it is we are doing.  Their favorite activity is lying beside me on the couch in the evening and jockeying for the position closest to me.  We live out in the country so it is fun to watch them try and catch birds (Bo can catch a bird) and bark at the neighbor’s cows. I think if a cow actually came over, all three would run scared into the house. 

Did you accidentally adopt a pit bull type dog or did you do it intentionally?

I will say we became advocates of pit bull type dogs really by accident.  To be very honest, when Trevor and I first decided we wanted a dog, we went to breeder.  Neither of us where aware of the struggle pit bull type dogs faced.  Trevor researched many breeds and determined the best one suited for our family was a Staffordshire Bull Terrier.  We found a really terrific breeder and that is where it all began. We fell in love with the breed.  We realized very quickly that most individuals are ignorant to the true characteristics of pit bull type dogs and “educate” themselves with exaggerated, inaccurate media reports. In our mind, once you own and love a pit bull type dog, you become an advocate, whether intentionally or not.  Over time, we became familiar with the challenges faced by the breed.  We knew we couldn’t take them all in (although I thought about it) so we decided to become a foster family. We felt it offered the greatest opportunity to help.

What is daily life like with a pit bull type dog?

Crazy!! Just kidding, it is great. There is not a day that goes by that one of them doesn’t do something that makes us laugh or stand in awe.  Don’t get me wrong, they shouldn’t be considered an “easy” breed.  It takes effort to make sure everything runs smoothly but we wouldn’t have any other way.  They are always happy to see us, want to be with us and provide us enjoyment. Who could ask for more?

Anything else you want to add?

I would like encourage those who are in the position to consider becoming a foster home for a needy animal.  If asked, I would strongly sway your interest towards pit bull type dogs but there are a lot of needy animals who would benefit from a loving temporary home.  I will admit it has not always been easy.  Bo is our first foster and there were days when everything seemed to go wrong.  What I learned though, is even though everything may be wrong one day, the dog doesn’t care.  He is still there the next day and still loves you as much that day as he did the day before.  Bo will have been with us for 2 years in November.  I cannot attest to what we have been able to provide to him. What I can speak to is what he has been able to provide to us.    Fostering Bo has taught me a lot about myself. Through our ups and downs, I have learned to recognize my personal strengths and weaknesses.  I know what it means to have true patience, to persevere through difficulties and to give love without conditions. I believe I am a better person today because he came into our lives. 

For a long time, we called Bo our “foster dog”.  (Read Bo's Bio here!)  Now Bo is just our dog, our “Dodo”, our “Doed”. There may be a day when the “perfect” home for Bo comes along but until then, Bo is a part of our family and a part of us. We wouldn’t change that for anything.