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| Name: |
Spackle
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Age: |
Six years old
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| Gender: |
Female |
Breed: |
Pit Bull mix
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| Home: |
Salt Lake City, Utah, USA |
Growing
up we always had a dog. We chose Cocoa when I was six. He lived for
sixteen years, and in the meantime we got Festivus, who lived to be thirteen. When I got
back from deployment to Afghanistan with my Army National Guard unit I was
not the same. I was depressed and anxious. In 2009, I entered weekly therapy.
After a few sessions my therapist suggested I get a dog. Dogs had always made
me happy. Dogs also force their parent to get out of their home to socialize
with other pet parents whether on walks or at a dog park. One Saturday in
February (after four years of not having a dog of my own) I took my sister to
the Humane Society of Utah to look for fur babies. I was looking at a male
black lab when my sister spotted a small, brown pit bull puppy playing with a
family. The family was not interested in adopting her. They were just there
to volunteer their time to play with the dogs. I went into the run, sat on
the bench, and this tiny thing walked up to me and started to climb onto the
bench. I helped her up and she curled up in my lap. I was a goner.
Meet Spackle...like the stuff you put on walls to fix them. When I looked at
her kennel card it read, "Pit Mix." So I thought, "Great, perfect. She'll
only be about sixty pounds (27kg). A small-ish, strong dog." The problem with the
phrase "Pit Mix" is you don't know what the "Mix" part is. Spackle blew by sixty
pounds before I knew it. As an adult dog, she weighs 105 pounds (48kg). I certainly
didn't expect her to be as big as she is but I love every pound of her. She
saved my life. Spackle helped me to get out of my depression and get into the
world again. She gave me something to be responsible for. She gave me
purpose. I am forever indebted to her.
Although she is getting older in years she is still a great dog. I loved
puppy phase. She was bouncy and energetic and everyone wouldn't stop gushing
over her. As an adolescent she became a force. She looked scary but she was
as gentle as any dog could be. On our walks, I trained her to sit when a
stranger wanted to pet her. I also taught her to lay down if a child wanted
to meet her. As an adult, she is lazy but it's great. I love sleep-all- day
dog. It's perfect because I work a graveyard shift and she just curls up in
bed with me when I get home at 8:00 AM. I can't wait to see what elder bull
has in store for. She is already starting to gray and she looks beautiful. On
our walks or at the park someone always comments about how beautiful she is.
I never know what to say because I don't really have anything to do with her
genetics. I get her out and exercised and feed her right but all of her
beauty comes from her. I end up just saying, "Thank you."
Spackle will always be the belle of the ball.
See more images of Spackle!
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