(Well, Randy's dog.)
Mocha girl.
She is a lab-maybe pit-maybe boxer- mix.
(A mutt.)
And a spoiled rotten brat.
I found out a couple weeks ago that October is Pit Bull Awareness month. And while we are not completely sure that Mocha is part pit- we have tried to be good pet parents and ambassadors for the breed in general.
I love dogs. LOVE them. I grew up with German Shepherds... I am a big dog kind of girl. Before Mocha flung (flang? flinged?) herself into our world, we were shopping for a puppy of the shepherd variety. We had agreed that we would get a puppy that summer, when I would be home to train it and housebreak it and all that puppy stuff.
Little did we know, a teeny mutt had other plans for us. We all know the story- sweet Randy was helping our neighbors move, and when they got to the neighbors new place, the previous occupants had abandonded their 4 month old puppy. She had been locked in her cage for at least 3 days, with no food and water. Randy calls me and asks if we could keep her. There was a gross misunderstanding, and I was suckered into keeping her. This was of course after many phone calls to lots of shelters and rescue organizations. The rescue groups couldn't take her- they were all full. The shelter would take her, but would euthanize her, because she could possibly be part pit bull.
The thought of taking this adorable creature to a shelter that would only kill her broke my heart. (Ask my dad- I was devastated, and hysterical crying.) I just couldn't bring myself to let that happen. It didn't matter to me what kind of dog she was- all I knew is that she needed to be rescued.
And here we are, almost 5 years later. We still aren't totally sure what kind of dog we have, but I do make a point of saying we think she is part pit bull. We try to be good ambassadors for the breed- even if she isn't part pit bull. I've gotten to the point where I just might rescue some more pit bull type dogs- just to prove to everyone how incredibly sweet and caring and lovable these dogs are. We have worked hard to have a well trained, well mannered dog. And while she isn't perfect, and most of the time is scared of her own shadow, she is still a pretty fantastic dog who is throwing a lot of stereotypes right out the window.
My point in all this rambling is this- if you see us walking down the street, don't run away scared. Stop and ask us questions- we are happy to tell you Mocha's story. She will love on you and let you pet her.... and if you are tiny enough, maybe let you climb all over her.
She makes a great babysitter- and thinks that she can do a much better job of caring for children.
I'm hopeful that one day Mocha won't have to deal with the stereotypes. People will realize that it's the person, not the breed, that makes a dog what it is or isn't. But until then, we will take her wherever we go, and we will answer people's questions. We will keep smiling when they cross to the other side of the street when they see us coming. We will keep being good ambassadors- and hopefully change someone's opinion along the way.
