It’s Important to Know How to Ask For Help

She spotted a nearby police car and hopped on in!

In a Facebook post, the Walnut Creek Police Department shared the story and some adorable photos, “Tonight at around 5:45 p.m., this little girl knew she was in trouble and took it upon herself to jump into one of our parked patrol cars and let Officer Akers know she was lost.”

Officer Akers knew that he needed to take this sweet thing to the local shelter so that her family could easily find her.

On the way to the shelter, “She fell asleep in Officer Akers’ lap and napped the entire ride to Contra Costa Animal Services,” the police department wrote, adding: “She is well trained, can sit, stay and lay down.”

Funny enough, the good-natured lady even had painted nails!

When they arrived at the shelter, the sweet thing was scanned for a microchip. Unfortunately, she did not have one.

Despite not having her happy reunion yet, “She repaid Officer Akers with a kiss on the cheek for his efforts in finding her family.”

Awaiting Her Family

The loving gal was to remain at the shelter until her family came for her. In the meantime, the Walnut Creek Police Department continued to update its Facebook followers.

After just a few days, the police department was happy to report that the lovely pup was returned to her family!

Aren’t reunion stories the best? We think that this story is especially inspiring as it shows just how good-natured all breeds can be. Make sure to share!

The post Lost Pit Bull Kindly Asks for Help by Jumping into a Cop Car appeared first on PawSoCute.

As Jon shared with The Dodo, “There was a bunch of pit bulls and cats there, and the dogs were barking and jumping up on the cages.”

And then Jon came across a one-year-old Pit Bull who wasn’t barking at all. Jon couldn’t help but go over to her.

“She was just sitting there very calmly while the other dogs were barking their heads off,” Jon said. “So I went over to her cage, and she stuck her little paw out, and when I reached my hand down, she stuck her little paw out through the cage, and I grabbed it.

After that, I called Kayla and said, ‘We’ve got to get this dog.’”

Jon and Kayla soon learned that the Pit Bull was surrendered by her former owner because she was no longer “cute.”

“Once she grew out of being a puppy, they just abandoned her there. A lot of people get them [pit bulls] when they’re puppies because they think they’re cute, and when they grow up, they just abandon them, and that’s what happened to her,” Jon said.

“To this day, I don’t understand why anyone would give her up because she’s so sweet and loving. She’s never met a person or a tennis ball that she doesn’t love immediately,” Kayla shared.

Jon and Kayla named the Pit Bull Ellie and learned that she was set to be euthanized that day they visited the animal shelter. “She’s only a year old, and if they put her down, it would have been such a waste of life,” Jon said.
When her new humans brought her home, Ellie ran all over the apartment, jumping on the bed and couch.

Now settled into her new life, Ellie loves to sleep, play with tennis balls, and keep an eye on Jon and Kayla.
“She won’t let you out of her sight — ever. Even if you creep out of the room … she’s coming after you because she wants to keep her eye on you. I think she just loves us and she wants to be near us all the time,” Kayla said.

Jon and Kayla have noticed how people will avoid walking on the same side of the street as Ellie and give her sideways glances, but they know she doesn’t have a mean body in her body. “…she literally just chases butterflies all day. She’s not going to hurt anybody,” Kayla said.

Jon and Kayla may not have intended to adopt Ellie that day at the animal shelter, but now they don’t how they could live without Ellie. “I was a little apprehensive at first about bringing a dog home, but now that she’s here … the family wouldn’t be complete without her,” Kayla said.

Pit Bulls are often misunderstood as aggressive dogs, but as Ellie’s story highlights, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Help dispel the misconceptions about Pit Bulls by sharing Ellie’s sweet story to your friends and family – the more awareness we can spread, the better. And if you’re looking for a new four-legged best friend, remember to always adopt and never stop!

The post Pit Bull Seconds Away From Euthanasia Reaches Out Her Paw for Help appeared first on PawSoCute.

According to an interview on KTXL news, Sasha’s owner, Nana Chai, left Sasha outside that Sunday night. The dog woke Chai up by banging on the back door.

Realizing that something was wrong, Chai rushed to her baby daughter’s bedroom, only to find Sasha was there ahead of her, trying to drag the baby to safety by the diaper.

A 911 call was made, and while flames only consumed the attic in that part of the fourplex, the family is not able to return to the home. Chai lived with her cousin, who was not present when the fire occurred.

They are currently living with other relatives who live in a different location of the same fourplex.

The local fire department is still trying to determine the cause of the fire.

While Sasha scared Chai at first, once she realized the heroic dogs intentions, she became grateful for the dog’s brave efforts.

By sharing her story she hopes it will convince people who are afraid of pit bulls to give them another chance.

“It meant a lot. I owe her everything. If it wasn’t for her, I would have still been in bed and things could have taken a worse turn,” she said.

The post 8 Month Old Pit Bull Shocks Mom When Saving Baby By The Diaper In House Fire appeared first on PawSoCute.

Sasha, a tiny pit bull puppy, was born in September. At a day old, she was found to have a cleft lip and palate – making her unable to nurse.

“She’s defying all the odds,” DeMarco, Sasha’s foster mom and founder of FURRR 911, told The Dodo. “She’s proven that she wants to be here.”

Director of SNARR Animal Rescue of New York, Courtney Bellew, has been caring for Sasha and her littermates. SNARR specializes in special needs dogs.

“The owner recognized she had a cleft palate and lip and wanted to try and save her,” Bellew explained to The Dodo. “He brought her to my house and she was so tiny and fragile.”

Sasha had to be tube-fed, so Bellow coordinated with an experienced nurse practitioner, DeMarco. DeMarco previously worked with neonatal care for injured and critically kittens.

With DeMarco’s proven skill caring for animals in need, Sasha would be in good hands.

Bellow brought Sasha to a parking lot in Westchester County, New York – near DeMarco’s home. To make a heating pad for the puppy, she put some rice in a sock. The dog was carefully wrapped in blankets and placed in a box to keep her warm through her travels.

Her first day of lie, Sasha was a mere 11 ounces. Unfortunately, her cleft lip and palate were only the start of her health problems.

DeMarco realized Sasha’s head was much larger than her body. After consulting the veterinarian, Sasha was diagnosed with hydrocephalus.

Hydrocephalus is a buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the skull. For Sasha, this means her brain is only 1/3 of the size it is intended to be.

As time passed, Sasha developed an infection in her upper respiratory system, as well as a urinary tract infection.

Despite all of the problems, Sasha has held on tightly!

“She has an amazing will and determination,” DeMarco said. “Through all this, she really shouldn’t be here.”

Now that Sasha is 3 1/2 months old, Sasha weighs 1 pound 9 ounces. She is not big enough to have any surgeries.

When Sasha gains weight, she will be able to have surgeries to help her eat and rid of some of the fluid in her skull.

No matter how many struggles Sasha is facing, she is still a happy puppy full of life!

Sasha eats every three or four hours throughout the day, and every five hours during the night to allow DeMarco to get a little rest.

When Sasha sees her food, she starts licking her lips!

To keep warm, Sasha wears cute sweaters and dresses. She loves to hang out with DeMarco’s foster kittens and cats.

More than anything, Sasha adores DeMarco. She stays near her foster mom as much as she can – affection is her favorite!

“I scoop her up and hold her,” DeMarco said. “When I hold her and I’m kissing her, if I hold her near my face, she licks my nose.”

It’s too soon to know what Sasha’s future looks like, but things are optimistic.

“She was dealt some bad cards in life,” DeMarco said. “Boy, is she loved.”

Source: The Dodo

The post Tiny Pit Bull Determined to Grow Up Strong As Can Be appeared first on PawSoCute.

Everything was going well until he encountered something he did not like – the rain.

“I got him in the summer so as soon as we hit the rainy fall it became clear he was not a fan,” Stephanie Lennon, Odie’s mom, told The Dodo. “He will take a few steps out the door and come running back in if it’s really coming down.”

Odie had a skin condition since he was first adopted by Lennie, and because of this he needed to wear a jacket to keep him warm. He came to feel safer in his hoodie.

That’s when Lennon realized just what Odie needed to embrace the rainy weather… A raincoat!

“My mom found the raincoat on Amazon and sent it to me immediately,” Lennon said. “It was just too cute to pass up!”

Odie fell in love with his rubber ducky jacket right from the start. Lennon was happy to find getting the jacket was the perfect choice to help Odie feel comfortable in the rain! Another perk? He looks ADORABLE in his raincoat!

“He isn’t great about keeping the hood on but he does seem to appreciate staying more dry overall,” Lennon said.

Odie has come to love clothes, and so he has a collection of at-home attire. His raincoat is a little too long to wear all the time.

He even has a unicorn costume!

While Seattle sees a lot of rain, Odie can now feel prepared for anything in his rubber ducky jacket.

Check out Odie on his Instagram page.

Source: The Dodo

The post Dog Afraid of Rain Until Mom Makes This Adorable Puppy Raincoat appeared first on PawSoCute.

After meeting many different dogs, Harbaugh had no particular attachment that stood out more than another – until Pinky.

When the Island of St. John was hit by Hurricane Irma, Wings of Rescue came to take dogs from the island and get them brought to safety. While stopping for fuel and a swap of crew members in Fort Lauderdale, Harbaugh met Pinky.

“She stared at me as I climbed into the cockpit and that’s where it all started,” Harbaugh told The Dodo. “Once we arrived at our cruising altitude the other pilot took over and I went into the back to check on Pinky. I stuck my fingers in the crate through the door and she leaned up against the door and my fingers with all her weight. I opened the crate and she crawled into my lap and buried her head in my hands. After a couple minutes, her tail began to wag and we hung out for a little while before it was time for her to go back into her crate.”

Upon landing in New Hampshire, Harbaugh was struggling to say goodbye to Pinky. Even as the truck was boarding for Last Hope K9 Rescue, he had to pet her once more before she departed. Harbaugh felt a connection to Pinky he was not ready to let go of.

“It wasn’t until I watched her truck drive away that I realized I was going to miss her,” Harbaugh said. “She stood out from all of the previous pets that I had met on my previous flights.”

Harbaugh knew what he had to do – find Pinky and adopt her!

“I decided to get in touch with Ric Browde (with Wings of Rescue) and ask how difficult it would be to track down a pet that was dropped off the night before,” Harbaugh said. “He asked for her name and said he’d do some checking. That Friday, I got a call from Ric and he told me that he found her and that the shelter agreed to let me adopt her.”

The K9 Rescue was more than happy to hear the pilot had grown so interested in her adoption. While Pinky was staying in a foster home with Marcia Birnbaum, Harbaugh worked tirelessly to bring her home. He was assisted by Mission: Miracle K9 Rescue Inc., the group able to coordinate a flight for Pinky to see Harbaugh.

Once a flight had been arranged, Jessica Teng drove Pinky to the airport.

“One of our crew flew into Fort Lauderdale out of Saint Croix and I continued that flight into Worcester, which is where Pinky and I were reunited after unloading almost 200 more pets,” Harbaugh said.

When Pinky saw Harbaugh, the connection was clear.

While flying back to Fort Lauderdale with Harbaugh, Pinky was able to spread out. No other dogs were on the plane!

After spending a few days in a hotel together, the two went back to their forever home in Texas.

Now that the two are together, it’s clear that a better match could not be made. Harbaugh and Pinky are so happy together!

Source: The Dodo

The post Pilot Adopts Dog After Hurricane Rescue Mission appeared first on PawSoCute.

Penni the dog spent her first year and half of life trapped in a drug house basement.

When she was rescued, she was scared of everything. Her owners had abused her constantly, both physically and verbally.

Rescuers were concerned Penni would struggle to get adopted. Then, Blaine DeLuca came into her life and changed it all.

DeLuca wanted to rescue a dog for awhile but had trouble finding his perfect match. Upon meeting Penni, he was warned of her past. The rescuers explained her timid nature and that it might take a little while for her to get comfortable with him.

DeLuca sat against a wall and Penni was slowly introduced. To everyone’s surprise, Penni wasn’t scared at all – she even licked DeLuca and sat on his lap!

In that moment, DeLuca knew he found his dog.

Once he brought Luna home, he realized how traumatized she must have been. Even the simplest things scared her.

“You could see it in every inch of her demeanor,” DeLuca told The Dodo. “She was absolutely terrified of everything under the sun. It was awful. It was an uphill battle for quite a while. I couldn’t even get her to walk. She would just sit in the corner with her head down. Six months, no eye contact; she was a full-blown disaster at that point.”

DeLuca had no intentions of giving up. He worked hard to get Penni comfortable. He had friends over with their dogs and even brought Penni into a home environment with other dogs – all he wanted was to get Penni feeling safe and happy.

While Penni was struggling, DeLuca was living in New Jersey. The weather was rather chilly, making it hard to go outdoors. The two lived downtown and the environment was far too reminiscent of where she came from.

So the pair moved to Las Vegas.

The hot climate of Las Vegas changed the game for Penni. With all the landscape to explore and the warm weather to embrace, Penni’s life began to change. Every hike DeLuca went on, she came along.

“At that point I could really start to see her demeanor change,” DeLuca said. “I realized how much she enjoyed being outdoors. We’ll sit inside and she’s just a normal dog, but as soon as you open the door to go outside, even if it’s just for a walk down the sidewalk, she just bolts into pure happiness.”

As DeLuca made friends with fellow hikers, Penni got more time to explore and meet new people. All the outdoor adventures gave her a new sense of confidence.

Suddenly, she was a happy and loving pit bull.

 

A post shared by Penni Dog (@pennidog) on Sep 8, 2017 at 6:40am PDT

“She was terrified of anybody that walked anywhere near her,” DeLuca said. “If the door to the house opened, she would be in the bathtub. Now she comes to the door, tail wagging. Even every inanimate object, like if I pulled out a basketball for instance, she would take off in the other direction, versus now, she’ll sit out in the driveway with me when I’m shooting a basketball.”

Now, Penni and DeLuca go on as many adventures as they can.

From hiking…

To rappelling…

To zip lining!

Penni loves facing new and exciting challenges. She shows DeLuca endless trust and is entirely brave no matter what they do.

Penni’s transformation is a story that helps change the current perceptions of pit bulls. She proves that pit bulls can do anything – and then some! They are loving and trusting dogs. Penni’s Instagram is great proof of her calm demeanor.

“On the days I’m wanting to go do something and I maybe can’t find anybody to go with me, it’s awesome to know that I’ve always got her,” DeLuca said. “There’s not one time where I’ve ever taken her out where she wasn’t excited, wasn’t ready.”

Penni’s life began in total darkness, trapped indoors. Now, she embraces the sunlight and the great adventures that await outside. Of course, Penni still struggles with some anxieties, she has come farther than anyone could have hoped.

 

A post shared by Penni Dog (@pennidog) on Sep 6, 2017 at 3:29am PDT

“She is who she is at this point,” DeLuca said, “and I wouldn’t trade her for any other dog on the planet.”

Source: The Dodo

 

The post Dog Locked In Basement For A Year Finds Joy With New Dad appeared first on PawSoCute.

While Koda was waiting to be adopted at the Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton, New York, the Animal Farm Foundation noted that he would be a great candidate for the Assistance Dog Program. This program takes qualified pit bulls from shelters and gives them the necessary training to become service dogs.

“All dogs are individuals, and while some tend to prefer staying cozy on the couch all day as a family pet, others have the right characteristics to perform service work,” Bernice Clifford, director of behavior and training at AFF, told The Dodo. “In Koda’s case, he had a great personality, was very comfortable with being around other dogs and people and had the desire and energy to do the work.”

Koda began his life at a farm and enjoyed roaming around with the cows. Unfortunately, the landlord did not enjoy the animals mingling and demanded that Koda be rehomed. When a new home was found, animal control checked up on the new owners – and it turned out they had been convicted of animal cruelty in the past. Koda was taken out of the home and was placed in a shelter.

Koda spent a year training for basic obedience and understanding environments to be experienced with his handler (for instance, grocery stores, airports, plans, or public transportation). He learned about how to respond to seizures, how to pick up dropped items, and how to call for help when needed.

Once he completed his training, Koda was paired with a handler that matched him perfectly – Fiona Gilbert, and exercise physiologist from San Francisco, California.

As a sufferer of multiple sclerosis, or MS, Filber experiences a number of symptoms on a daily basis. When she saw a documentary about a woman with the same diagnosis utilizing a service dog, she felt inspired to try the same.

Gilbert applied for a service pit bull in 2014, and has waited three years to be paired – an average waiting period for a service dog, according to Gilbert.

“It was my husband who first said, ‘What you need is a pit bull service dog,’ and I remember saying, ‘Don’t be stupid, there’s no such thing,’” Gilbert said. “And here I am with an ultra-amazing pit bull service dog.”

“It’s not often that you see a movement therapist needing a service dog to help them move and do their job,” Gilbert expplained. “I travel a lot for work and my job is physically demanding.”

Gilbert works with patients suffering from neurological disorders, much like herself. Her job can leave her exhausted. With Koda, Gilbert is able to use less of her body strength to work, allowing her to better focus on the task at hand – helping her clients!

“Koda braces me when I do [flexibility training] work on my clients so I am not so tired at the end of the day,” Gilbert said. “I’m able to do things like make dinner and have a conversation with my husband without falling asleep on the couch or into my soup.”

Before Koda came into her life, daily tasks such as walking could be extremely difficult. “Walking is one of the trickiest [and most tiring] things to do when you have a neurological disorder,” she said. “With Koda, I can trust him to make sure that I am safe and walking well, so I don’t need as much energy to walk.”

The exhaustion Gilbert felt from her job caused difficulty managing her MS.

“When I get exhausted, my symptoms flare,” Gilbert said. “Travel became difficult. I look healthy, but I can’t form words, so I would appear to be drunk and sometimes denied boarding a plane. Having Koda means I am not as tired and my invisible disability becomes visible.”

While Koda is a hardworker, he also enjoys his free time. He loves basking in the sun…

Snuggling…

Playing with squeaky toys…

And having snacks!

The relationship between Gilbert and Koda helps to tear down negative stereotypes about pit bulls.

“I’d never owned a pit bull before Koda, but I was familiar with their public image and thought it was unfair to sideline an entire breed,” Gilbert said. “Seeing us work, people have been learning about dogs as individuals.”

“Koda has had quite the roller coaster in life and so have I,” Gilbert said. “But being a pit bull or a person who has a diagnosis handed to them or a crappy history doesn’t define who they are. It is what they do with it, it is how we respond back to the world that defines us.”

Source: The Dodo

The post Service Dog Makes Remarkable Difference for New Owner appeared first on PawSoCute.

After Leo is done greeting Newhouser, he would jump into the UPS truck. He wanted to go for a ride, even though he wasn’t allowed.

“He would sit there and sniff around,” Newhouser said. “When I had to leave, he didn’t want to get out.”

Because of this common exchange between Leo and Newhouser, Leos’s owner – Tina – has gotten to know Newhouser.

“I saw Tina walking Leo and stopped to pet him,” Newhouser said. “That’s how I started talking to Tina. That’s actually how I’ve started talking to most of my customers. If they’ve got a dog, I’m stopping.”

For well over a year this routine went on between Newhouser and Leo. But when last October came, things changed.

“I was on vacation, and when I came back to work, I went to the complex,” Newhouser said. “When I was pulling in, I saw [Tina’s] son Cannon pulling out with furniture in the back, and I thought, ‘Oh that’s weird.’ I just waved to him and he waved to me. And I didn’t think anything of it, because she was looking to move because the association of the condo was giving Leo a hard time because he was a pit bull, and they didn’t really want him there.”

Newhouser called Tina, but no one picked up the phone. To see what happened, she checked Facebook. That is when she learned that Tina had passed away.

Newhouser knew Tina’s son, Cannon, was a Marine, meaning he would need to be away from home for training. Newhouser got in contact with Cannon to see what his plan was for Leo.

“I said [to Cannon], ‘I’ll take Leo until you can come back and get him from your training,’” Newhouser said. “And he said, ‘That’s fine.’ And then I picked him up that following Saturday.”

“I knew he had nowhere to go, and I didn’t want him to end up in a shelter, and with somebody who was not going to be good for him,” Newhouser added.

While Newhouser didn’t come to pick up Leo in the UPS truck, he knew who she was right away.

“He ran up to me, and started barking at me, just like he does when I’m in my UPS truck,” Newhouser said. “Then he immediately hopped into my truck. He loves going in the car, so I think he just thought he was going for a ride. But you could tell that he was confused.”

Newhouser was already a huge dog lover – with three dogs at home already! Unsure how the dogs would react to Leo, she made sure to do an introduction first. Right away she knew there would be no problem.

“They did some sniffing, and then they started running around in the backyard,” Newhouser said. “They just immediately took to each other.”

While Leo was happy, Newhouser could tell he missed Tina by the way he whined.

“He would whine a lot at night,” Newhouser said. “It made me very sad.”

While Leo still whines at night on occasion, he has grown fond of his new life with Newhouser – his now full-time owner. Newhouser is thrilled to have Leo be part of her life.

“He’s a big baby. He’s one of the most gentle dogs I have ever met,” Newhouser said. “He’s big and he looks like he could be mean, but if you look at his eyes, you can just tell that he’s just the sweetest dog.”

Source: The Dodo

The post UPS Driver Adopts Pit Bull After Owner Passes Away appeared first on PawSoCute.

You know when your dog is happy with a smile like this…

Meatball the dog is full of love ever since being rescued. He just can’t wipe the smile off of his face! 

Meet Meatball! His nickname is “The Chunk”.

He is full of so much love – it’s hard to handle!

You can see his joy as he smiles all the time. 

When Lisa Reilly spotted Meatball on the Fresno Bully Rescue page, she knew she needed to take him home! 

Because Meatball is built like an English Bulldog, too much exercise gets him a little too hot! 

Fortunately, he loves to lounge around on the couch with his family. 

No matter what he does – even when he is upside down – his smile never fades.

According to Meatball’s mom, he is funny, loving, and packed full of energy!

Keep smiling Meatball! We can never get enough of that precious face. 

If you can’t get enough of Meatball’s smile, be sure to follow his mom on Instagram!

Source: Pawpulous 

The post Happiest Dog In The World Can’t Stop Smiling After Being Rescued appeared first on PawSoCute.