Pet Rescue Stories

Dog Rescue Stories: Lilly Changed Her Mom’s Mind About Pit Bulls!

By Jarissa Aquinde, Positively Woof Rescue and Adoption Story Editor 

Lilly FeaturedHannah and her husband had been married for about 5 months when Hannah’s mom, Lucinda, called her to let her know she had found a stray dog. Hannah’s  family members (mother, Lucinda, step-dad, Noah, and grandmother, Dorothy) were
in the process of moving to New Mexico from North Texas at the time, and were busy packing boxes in the summer heat. Lucinda made a trip to Sonic to get sodas for everyone and upon her return, Lilly literally jumped into their family’s life! As Lucinda was walking from the truck into Hannah’s grandmother’s house, Lilly ran up to her and jumped up, knocking the sodas out of her hands. Lilly frantically began lapping up the spilled soda…poor thing was so thirsty! Lucinda walked to the water hose and turned it on for her, and Lilly drank until she had her fill. Lilly ran off down the street but returned several more times throughout the day to drink from the water bowl Lucinda had since set by the water hose. During one of Lilly’s returns for more water, Hannah’s parents somehow managed to get her into their truck and drove her to the local vet. The vet confirmed that she was a Pit Bull, around 6 months old, and she did not have a microchip or tags. Lucinda sent Hannah a few videos of Lilly in the truck on the way to the vet and she fell more in love with Lilly after watching each one.

Lilly Bug 9
Hannah’s parents wanted to try to find Lilly’s owners, so they made Facebook posts, called the animal shelter, the local newspaper, vet offices in the area, and asked the veterinary staff that had evaluated Lilly to call any rescue groups they knew of. Lilly was dehydrated and very underweight. Hannah’s parents did not want to take her to the shelter for fear that she would be put down because of her breed, so they decided to take her home with them and see if anyone responded to the notices about a found Pit Bull. Throughout the day, Lucinda updated Hannah with pictures of Lilly and Hannah so badly wanted to go see Lilly for herself.Lilly Bug Glasses
Hannah’s husband, Chris, was at work while all of this was happening, and Hannah was continuously bombarding him with text messages about Lilly. He got home from work around 10:00 that night and they made the hour drive to Hannah’s parents’ house to meet Lilly. On the drive there, Hannah decided to call her Lilly. When they arrived at her parents’ house, Lilly ran to meet them at the door. She sat down at Chris’ feet and peed. She was wagging her butt all around excitedly and was so full of energy! Hannah was a little wary of her at first. Lilly was a jumper (she still is) and had very little in the way of manners and obedience. It was obvious that she had not been given the socialization that she needed early on. Hannah and Chris stayed there for several hours interacting with her and trying to get a feel for who she was. After a lot of play time and a few excited pees on the couch, Lilly curled up in Hannah’s lap and went to sleep. It was the first time Hannah ever heard Lilly’s adorable snore and her heart melted.Lilly Bug 4
Hannah had always heard that pit bulls were bad.  They were all “killers”. They were all aggressive. They were all “baby murderers”. Hannah can’t pinpoint where she picked up on that, but she blames the media. Hannah suddenly realized, with this snoring Lilly Bug on her lap, that everything she believed about these dogs was so absolutely and utterly WRONG.
While Chris and Hannah were still in the dating phase of their relationship, they had talked about a getting a dog in the future. Chris wanted a Pit Bull and Hannah immediately shot him down,  spouting off a bunch of incorrect information about how vicious pit bulls are. If Hannah could go back in time and slap herself, she would!Lilly Bug Bandana
Hannah and Chris decided to take Lilly home with them for the weekend. If someone responded to the “found dog” ads, great! If not, they would keep her and see if it worked out. If it didn’t work out and no one claimed her, they were going to take her to a no-kill shelter that a vet friend of theirs runs in Oklahoma. Monday rolled around and Chris and Hannah both knew that they wanted Lilly to stay with them! Over the next week, there were several Pit Bulls dumped in the same area that Hannah’s mother found Lilly in, including one entire litter of puppies. Hannah, sadly, doesn’t know the fate of those dogs. If she knew back then what she knew now, she would have stepped up and done something for the others. The first night Lilly spent with her new pawrents, she cried because she wanted to sleep in the bed between them. Hannah got a comforter and slept on the floor with her…the first of many nights on the floor together.

Lilly Bug 8A lot of things have changed in the year that Lilly has been with her forever family. They moved into an “aggressive” breed friendly apartment and they have worked a lot with Lilly on her socialization and training. She knows “sit, lay down, come here, stay” and Hannah is trying to teach her how to roll over. She LOVES the dog park and meeting new people. She has gained her weight back. They discovered she has grain-allergies so she eats a special diet. She has been spayed and they make regular visits to the vet. She gets peanut butter daily and she loves to snuggle up for naps on the couch with her parents.

Lilly Bug PawrentsHowever, the biggest change has been the way Hannah views pit bulls, and all other “aggressive” breeds. Since Lilly joined their family, she has been introduced to some of the most amazing people in the world. The bully breed community is made up of wonderful people and Hannah am so thankful for the friendships she has made. Lilly has forever opened her eyes and her heart. She is her baby Bug. She is her happy place. She is everything that she didn’t know she needed.

Pit Bulls are powerful. They have giant smiles and giant hearts. They have the power to change people’s perceptions and open up people’s hearts. Lilly certainly did that for Hannah. The saying holds true, “Who rescued who?”

Follow Lovely Lilly on Instagram @theadventuresoflillythepitbull  read her blog Love, Lilly Bug.  Hannah is also a contributor for The Bully Pages.

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Chris and I start another semester tomorrow so I’m soaking up as much time as I can with Lilly today. I’ve taken 17 or more hours every semester since I started college and I’ve never taken a summer off until this summer. I’ve gone full time every summer. I’ve even done every Maymester offered. I’ve basically killed myself and I’m not sure why ???????? I wish someone would go back in time and tell little Hannah to calm the hell down! The good thing about the ridiculousness that has been the past few years of my life so far is that this semester I’m only taking 12 hours and my class schedule and work schedule work together beautifully ???? I’ll still be getting to spent plenty of time with Lilly and Dante Peaches throughout the day ???? we won’t be as active here on Instagram but we certainly aren’t going away! To anyone who is starting school soon or has already started…good luck! Have fun! And may the curve always be in your favor! ???? #pitbull #puppy #dogsofinstagram #AllBreedsAgainstBSL #WeArePetsNotThreats Follow our pawtners! ???? @kenzingtonthepittie @coco_n_pals @pitbullcutie @matty_lous_world @_x_tommy_the_gsd_x_ @atailofteller @ploxer_pup @_lani_girl

A photo posted by Lilly Bug (@theadventuresoflillythepitbull) on

I’ve been seeing a lot of comments along the lines of “she’s so cute! I want one!” on various photos recently. I love Lilly with all of my heart. She is my baby Bug. She is a HUGE responsibility and a HUGE amount of work. She is incredibly smart and loves to get into things she isn’t supposed to. She requires constant supervision and lots of mental and physical stimulation. Boredom leads to destruction very quickly. It is so extremely important when deciding to adopt a dog to understand that the cute face you fell in love with will inevitably chew up your favorite pair of shoes and get into the garbage and have an accident on the floor. It is also extremely important to understand that those are not reasons to get rid of the dog. When you adopt a dog you become their world. You promise them forever. That means loving them even though they chewed on the baseboards and peed on the carpet. It means loving them even though they knocked over the trashcan and made a giant mess. It means loving them through so much more. Yes, Lilly is cute, and she requires a lot of work be put into her care. Please don’t decide to adopt a dog solely because you think the dog is cute. That cute face may not look so cute when you find it chewing on your shoes. Adopt because you want a best friend and a snuggle buddy and a companion on new adventures. Adopt because you want to give a dog a loving home and a love-filled life #pitbull #puppy #dogsofinstagram #AllBreedsAgainstBSL #WeArePetsNotThreats Follow our pawtners! ???? @kenzingtonthepittie @coco_n_pals @pitbullcutie @matty_lous_world @_x_tommy_the_gsd_x_

A video posted by Lilly Bug (@theadventuresoflillythepitbull) on

We have had an eventful morning. Mom woke up early this morning to find me and my crate and everything in it covered in poop. It was all over my cage and the blanket she covered my cage with and the carpet outside the cage and even on some furniture around the cage. She gave me a bath in the water hose outside and then had to power wash all of my bedding and my crate. All my lovies had to be thrown away because mom said they could never be fully clean again and they were too gross to save. She said not to worry because she’ll get me new ones. After I got my bath outside I splashed in the mud puddles created by the water hose so I’ll have to have another bath later. The hoomans have been working on cleaning everything up all morning and I’m staying in the backyard and hanging out on the wraparound patio in case my butt decides to explode again. I’m running around and playing and having a great time chasing flys ???? mom doesn’t think I’m sick (bacterial or viral) because I’m acting just as wild as ever. She thinks we introduced too many new treats too quickly and my tummy couldn’t keep up. Mom said if I’m still exploding by this afternoon we’re going to the vet and thankfully they’re just down the street. Thanks for all the well wishes! ???? #pitbull #puppy #dogsofinstagram #AllBreedsAgainstBSL #WeArePetsNotThreats Follow our pawtners! ???? @kenzingtonthepittie @coco_n_pals @pitbullcutie

A photo posted by Lilly Bug (@theadventuresoflillythepitbull) on

Challenge accepted @mallywoolballs Follow our pawtners! ???? @kenzingtonthepittie @coco_n_pals @pitbullcutie

A photo posted by Lilly Bug (@theadventuresoflillythepitbull) on

Chris and I realized the other day that we very rarely call Lilly and Dante Peaches by their real names. Early on in their lives we started referring to them as “The Peach” and “The Bug” but now those nicknames have evolved into other nicknames and those nicknames have evolved into even more nicknames. It’s at a point now that they are just so ridiculous and silly we don’t know what to do with all of them. Nicknames for Dante Peaches: ???? The Peach, The Bubba, The Bubbity Bubba Nicknames for Lilly Bug: ???? The Bug, Bug, Bug Bug, Buggity Bug, Monkey, The Buggle. We also refer to her wiggling butt as “the Buggle butt” and when she’s acting super silly during play time we say she’s “buggin”. I also have a song I made up that I sing to her in a very ridiculous accent where I call her the “buggiest bug” #pitbull #puppy #dogsofinstagram Follow our pawtners! ???? @kenzingtonthepittie @coco_n_pals @pitbullcutie

A photo posted by Lilly Bug (@theadventuresoflillythepitbull) on

By Larry Kay

is the award-winning coauthor of Training the Best Dog Ever, which became a #1 best seller in dog training on Amazon Kindle. He is Leader of the Pack at Positively Woof, which helps shelter dogs get adopted by making videos and raises awareness and funds. Larry is an award-winning dog filmmaker and has been a frequent contributor to the American Animal Hospital Association and Dog Fancy magazine.

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