View the (VERY cool, if I say so myself) photo book here.

I had the pleasure of visiting my favorite rescue Brie over the weekend. You may remember from  this blog post when she visited my work.  This is the kind of happy ending that us volunteers LIVE for.

Brie, Alisa, John and Jacob

Brie and I had bonded deeply over the past 5 months, even having a 2 night sleepover in my twin sized bed. We had been through some rough times together from her Giardia and getting dangerously thin, her emotional set backs, to my decision to end my marriage. No matter what shape either of us were in (emotionally or physically) we both knew we would be the happiest we could be when we were in each others presence. It was the kind of love only a pit bull is capable of.

I loved Brie unconditionally but knew finding her a proper home (that would love her as much as I did) was not going to be easy. She was going to have to be an only pet with a family that knew and understood her fear and dominance issues, preferably with no young children. Anyone that saw us together knew that if I could have adopted her I wouldn’t have hesitated.

At the Doggy Street Festival she caught the eye of John. John had been looking for a dog that would protect his girlfriend and teenage son from people like John Gardener. John knew the moment he saw her that this was the dog for him. Brie was the farthest thing from aggressive in fact she was more fearful of people than anything, but her large head and muscular body would deter anyone from trying to hurt Jacob or Alisa. Looks aside John was drawn to Brie for reasons he could not explain and was unwilling to let her go without finding out.

Her standoff nature was not ideal for Alisa who was hoping to get an affectionate cuddly dog for their family. After a date at the boarding facility with hot dogs as the main course, John and Alisa compromised and became fosters to assure Brie was going to fit their family. I assured Alisa that the way Brie was with me would be the same if not worse once she bonded with them.  It only took a few days for those words to ring true and for Brie to go to her forever home.

I wanted to give Brie a couple weeks to settle into her new life before I came to visit. This gave me time to create a photo album for John and his family of the over 100 photos I had taken of Brie during her time with It’s The Pits.

When I arrived to the house Brie did not recognize me, as hoped and expected. She cowered and walked slowly towards me with her tail deeply tucked between her legs. This was how she greeted all new people. She walked slow circles sniffing me only when she felt comfortable I wouldn’t move and receded each time she didn’t feel 100% comfortable. After a few passes she stopped in front of me, looked up and then her jail jotted out as she leaped forward to greet me just like old times. John and Alisa were stunned at her reaction to me and with shear joy in their voice exclaimed “She remembers you!” No one had ever received such a warm welcome from Brie.

We sat at the house for a bit while I gave Brie the toys I had purchased for her and gave them the photo album I made. I got a tour of the house and watched Brie as she followed us through the house and never even glanced at the open front door. It astounded me but did not surprise me. Brie was so attached to everyone in this house going outside was the last thing she wanted to do.

Alisa and I walked Brie to the local park, through the ball for her and chatted away. Brie was different. I could see the love and appreciation for me and her new family resonating through her eyes. She very well could be the happiest dog alive.

They thanked me repeatedly for making the adoption process easy and enjoyable but no words could ever describe how thankful I am to them for adopting, loving and saving this beautiful baby girl who stole my heart. Brie being adopted by the perfect family merely a month after making the biggest decision of my life was a sign for me. A sign that my life was on the right track and that everything would be ok.

“Our family is finally complete.” ~John

To view all the photos from my visit click here.

I plan to visit Brie as often as I can and have promised to doggy sit whenever they need me.

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