Dom's Story (previously posted on Facebook)

Good morning, everyone! This story was previously posted on Facebook, but I thought it would be a good blog entry so hopefully you will enjoy it again or enjoy it for the first time if you didn't read it before :)

I have a story I’d like to share with you about a Pit Bull named Dom…short for “The Dominator.” A few months ago, you may remember that I posted a request to find a new home for him due to a change in his living situation. Well, here is the rest of the story…

Dom’s parents, Josh and Jodiene, rescued him from the streets; he was found roaming around, lost. Josh and Jodiene are no strangers to rescue dogs, in fact, they have three other dogs that they plucked from the streets – Oscar (a mini Dachshund), Hemi (a Pug mix) and Turbo (a Manchester Terrier) were also thrown away like so many. After being told that she would never be able to have biological children of her own, Jodiene, along with her husband, Josh, have dedicated their lives to their rescued fur children and didn’t think twice about adding Dom to their pack.

However, once home, Dom proved to be a handful. He was aggressive, wanted to attack any dog that came within feet of his fenced-in yard, had no manners and was just a crazy mess. With no training, socialization, affection or attention, who could blame him – he spent his life on his own and didn’t know any better. He was simply a dog thrown away, a survivor whose only mission was to live. Boy, was that about to change!

Josh and Jodiene refused to give up on Dom. They spent hours, not to mention a lot of money, getting Dom to act like the dog they knew he could be. They learned that he, true to his Pit Bull breed, needed a job to stay focused. They worked on commands, exercised him, socialized him…everything that all dog owners should do. Finally, Dom was on the right track to becoming a wonderful pet. He was loving, LOVED chasing his toys and doing his “job” (which WAS chasing his toys); he became such a love bug that no one would think he was ever anything but! One thing was apparent though, Dom did not like children…good thing Josh and Jodiene didn’t have any, nor had any plans to – or so they thought.

On January 14, 2013, Jodiene and Josh got the surprise of their life – Jodiene was pregnant! Over the moon about this news, their happiness soon turned to anxiety and dread…what were they going to do with Dom?

Now, we all know them…people who have animals and love them until something major changes in their life: kids, a move, a new job that takes too much time or just the general “I-don’t-feel-like-dealing-with-them-anymore.” Frowning upon those types of people, Josh and Jodiene were face to face with this exact situation. Of course the safety of their newborn baby was first priority, but what about Dom? Didn’t they have a responsibility to him too? After all, he had come so far from the crazy dog that he once was, and now, was he going to be uprooted from the home he loved AGAIN?

It was decided that Dom would be placed in a new home, but not just any home…Josh and Jodiene made it their mission to find him the BEST home – one with a family (with no children, of course) who knew his limits and how to handle him. They began the search immediately because even though they had eight months until their new baby was arriving, Dom was a special dog and may not be easy to place. Weeks went by, months passed, fliers were posted, friends were asked to spread the word, rescue groups were contacted…nothing. No one was willing to accept this beautiful boy – he just had too many “issues.” It should be noted that Josh and Jodiene were 100% up front about Dom. The last thing they wanted to do was sugar coat his description to make him sound like a dog he is not, only to have him turned in to a shelter or, worse, put down.

Jodiene’s due date of October 1st was looming and Dom still had not found a new home. Faced with the reality of possibly having to bring their baby home while Dom was still there, Jodiene and Josh sprung into action…baby dolls were bought, cribs were put out around the house and they “practiced” having a baby in front of Dom so that he would maybe get used to having a him or her

around.

As if finding out that they were expecting wasn’t surprise enough, on August 28^th, five weeks early, Jodiene went into labor and gave birth to a beautiful, healthy baby girl named Hannah. You see, because they were not planning on their new arrival, it was hard to accurately judge her due date and the doctors were just slightly off.

After a couple of days in the hospital, it was time for the new family to go home and for Hannah to meet her fur siblings for the first time. Anxiety was high as no one could predict what Dom would do. Would he be disruptive and act out? Bark? Forget all of the good behavior he was taught? And, on the top of everyone’s minds…would he try to attack baby Hannah?

To everyone’s surprise, Dom was anything BUT aggressive in any way. It was as if he knew what was about to happen…knew that something special had just come into his life. Dom was gentle, curious just like the other dogs, but above all, gentle. Josh and Jodiene saw that Dom wouldn’t leave Hannah’s side; he slept on the floor next to her crib, sniffed her occasionally to make sure she was ok – he even notified Josh and Jodiene when Hannah would wake up or cry. He saw to it that no one messed with his baby sister…it was his job!

Dom, the homeless, once aggressive, hyper, manner-less Pit Bull finally had his dream job…Hannah’s guardian.

Moral of this story: although every dog is different, and this story could have turned out much differently, they all deserve, at the very least, a chance.