Size
(when grown) Large 61-100 lbs (28-45 kg)
Details
Good with kids,
Good with dogs,
Needs special attention,
House-trained,
Story
One of our amazing volunteers vividly captured his experience of interacting with Betty White -- an affectionate, loving Pitbull who's blind and deaf, likely due to injuries from being used as a bait dog. Betty loves being near friendly dogs and people. She navigates the world surprisingly well, always seeking treats, sunbeams, and a kind touch. She needs a medical foster. Could that be you? Animal Aid covers all expenses for medical fosters, you just provide the love."I reach down and introduce myself to Betty White. Betty was transferred to us from another shelter; she is blind and deaf. No other information is known about her past life, but like other dogs that end up here in her condition, it was likely one of few comforts.She bumps into several walls and with a small sniff my touch was accepted. A touch is everything, it conveys intention, it begins a connection. The wonders of hundreds of millions of years of neurological evolution to evoke a surge of something beyond an unconscious physical response… “a feeling.” We begin our conversation.My hand grazes down her cheek and weeps for scores of downtrodden souls that came before her. Her face is rough, her eyes disfigured…a forgotten road to never be traveled again. I offer a few soft pitiful words. The subtle vibrations travel to her inner ear to provide some stimuli of a presence in her dark solitude. Her head raises to triangulate where the vibrations resonate the strongest combined with a few wet-nosed sniffs to assist.Her coarse white coat is patchy and neglected. Like a brail tragedy, my hand transfers stories of nights alone chained to a lonely post. My fingers flip through her medical file and confirm her heartworm positive condition.My hand briefly stops at her heart. She has a 6 of 6 heart murmur (the most intense) that will prevent aggressive heartworm treatment. My hand though, is ignorant to this language of the heart as it falls on my deaf touch.I busily change her sheets; they are bloody from an open leg wound and chewed-off scars. She has a tumor in one leg; we still don’t know the results. I begin to make her breakfast—a mix of kibble, cooked chicken, canned food, and Fresh Pet. I imagine an empty colorless room and haze of smells emerge in an eruption of sensory bliss.Starting now, she will have dozens of compassionate hands to listen to her story, clinch in her struggles, tremble with her sorrow. Whatever time Betty has left, it will hopefully be filled with a feeling she has never known—a sensation that can only be felt and falls short of description. She will feel the warm hands of sun rays in the grass and hands that hide tasty treats in their clutches. The world will not change for helping Betty, but the world will forever be changed for her."Interested? Come for a visit any day of the week - 365 days a year between 9am - 12pm. Hope to see you soon!PLEASE NOTE: Animal Aid Society observes a 40 mile adoption radius to facilitate post adoption support and follow ups.
