Pet Tales: Drug bust pit bulls seeking homes here
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Daisy Balawejder with Ferdinand the Bull.
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The 50-pound black pit bull is a true couch potato, spending many of his waking hours lounging on upholstered furniture. As a stranger approached, he ducked his head shyly and wagged his tail, then rolled onto his back, in the classic submissive canine posture. He groaned with pleasure as his belly was rubbed.
The dog's name is Ferdinand the Bull, and the friendly stranger was me.
When I moved my hand from his head to my pen and notebook, he snuggled closer to me and put his head on my lap, in an apparent bid to get more pats and rubs.
Two months ago, this dog was living outside at the end of a chain in Jefferson County, Ohio. He was one of the 200 dogs discovered during a drug bust. Most of the dogs were pit bulls, and police suspect they were used for fighting.
The owner relinquished ownership, and a number of animal organizations stepped up to care for the dogs, including the Humane Society of the United States.
Five of the dogs are now in the Pittsburgh area, under the care of Hello Bully, an all-volunteer rescue and educational organization. You can read all about them at www.hellobully.com. The dogs have new lives in foster homes or boarding kennels and new names: Franklin D. Roosebull, Isadora Bull, Pedro, Sucre and Ferdinand the Bull.
Pedro, 8, has already been adopted. The "foster mom" who provided temporary care decided her home would be Pedro's "forever home."
The others are undergoing careful training and rehabilitation. Ferdinand, 5, splits his time between a boarding kennel and the Cranberry residence of Daisy Balawejder, who started Hello Bully six years ago.
Pit bulls are not for everyone, and those that come from suspected fighting backgrounds undergo extra scrutiny and evaluation.
Ferdinand, for instance, has not yet met Mrs. Balawejder's pets, Meiko and Mizuki, who are also pit bulls. Pit bulls have been bred for centuries to aggressively bait bulls and fight dogs, but they've been bred to be nonaggressive with people. Some pit bulls can peacefully co-exist with other dogs.
Ferdinand has a lot to learn before he's ready to be adopted. When volunteers gave him dog toys, he didn't know what to do with them. He has learned how to enjoy toys, and now Mrs. Balawejder is teaching him a new activity.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" she asked him, as she held up a leash. Ferdinand rolled over on his back and wagged his tail.
"He'd rather lay on the couch than take a walk," she said, sadly. He doesn't pull on the leash, but he doesn't sniff and explore and enjoy like most dogs do on walks. "I think it's just too much for him right now."
First Published November 13, 2010 12:00 am
