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| Name: |
Bruiser
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Age: |
Eight and a half years old
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| Gender: |
Male |
Breed: |
Thai Ridgeback |
| Home: |
Dry Ridge, Kentucky, USA |
This
is Bellehound Scrawny Tawny Lion, JC "Bruiser." I rescued Bruiser when
he was only 3 1/2 months old from the rural shelter in Kentucky, he was due
to be put to sleep due to over crowding. He was supposed to be a
Basenji/Rhodesian Ridgeback mix. I did Basenji rescue at the time and I also
had a Rhodesian Ridgeback (I couldn't even imagine these two breeds getting
together to make puppies) and so I just had to go and check him out. When I
got to the shelter and saw him, I knew exactly what breed of dog he was, the
shelter just didn't realize that they had a "rare" breed (Thai Ridgeback).
They also thought that Bruiser was 5 1/2 months old. Bruiser was a skinny pup
when I brought him home, and I really had no intentions on keeping him, in fact
I had adopted him out (because I had a Basenji puppy who was recently born).
For the whole week that Bruiser was gone (living in his adoptive home), my
Rhodesian Ridgeback Kelley was sad, she did nothing but mope around, she
showed me that she missed Bruiser. For some reason the people who adopted him
decided that they didn't want him (their girls wanted a small furry dog), so I
graciously took Bruiser back, and Kelley was delighted to have her new friend
move back in. Bruiser began to put some weight on, he enjoyed the rough and
tumble play with Kelley, but he also enjoyed the Basenjis, because they would
clean his ears.
I started training Bruiser to follow in Kelley's paw prints by being a cadaver
recovery dog, Bruiser was a natural, and Kelley enjoyed the company of having
someone to work and play with. Bruiser was still always more worried about
where I was, than looking for the cadaver scented tennis balls (used to train
search dogs). My health began to get worse, and I was later diagnosed with
Fibromyalgia and Severe Anxiety, about this time, Kelley had retired from
Search work.
When Bruiser was three years old, he saved me from a rattlesnake bite. I
had taken him with me when I went looking for a farm house to buy, and I
didn't even see the snake as I started to open the barn door. Bruiser
pushed me out of the way just in the nick of time. He also got himself out
of the way, if he hadn't been with me that day, I wouldn't be here today.
From that point on, Bruiser has been my constant companion, I trained him
for my own specific health needs, and he's now my Service Dog. He's the
first Thai Ridgeback Service Dog in America and the World (as of October
2004), and he just recently made AKC (American Kennel Club) history by
being the first Thai Ridgeback to earn his Junior Coursing Title.
Bruiser has made my life worth living again. Who would have thought that by
me rescuing him, that he in turn would repay me with his life as my Service
Dog.
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