Our Story

Hello there!  This is a blog about my family; my husband, our pug Emery, our chihuahua Rufio, our pittie Rusty, and our life together in the Shenandoah Valley!  In the summer of 2011 we left our lives in the city to take jobs out in the valley.  A few weeks before we moved our lives were forever changed when we encountered a beat up little brown pittie on the street outside of our apartment building. 

Rufio

Rusty & Emery

He walked right up to me, face swollen from bite wounds, badly beaten up, obviously starving and eyes screaming for help.  I immediately scooped him up, loaded him in the car and attempted to take him to the local SPCA.  They refused to take him, as he would have to be processed by animal control first and deemed to be "adoptable".  I contacted animal control and the officer told me that because he was obviously a pit bull, and looked as if he had been "fought" he would most likely be sent straight to death row.  He had no tags, no micro chip, and no collar, meaning that animal control would only hold him for a day or so waiting for his owner to come looking for him before they found another "placement" for him, which would most likely have been death row.  They said I could "foster" him for the 2 day hold period at which point he could be released permanently to my custody.  There was little time to decide what to do, so we decided to foster him until we could find a good home or rescue for him.  The vet determined he was about 5 months old when we found him, probably born in December of 2010. We gave him his first bath the next morning and to our surprise he was not brown at all but a rusty red and blonde brindle with a red nose! Hence the name "Rusty". And oh those eyes......

About a week or so after we found him.  All clean and healing well.

There are 3 great pit bull rescues in the Richmond area; Ringdog Rescue, Bully Paws, and Annabelle's Second Chance.  All of which had approximately 6-8 month waiting lists.  I put him on the waiting lists and courtesy listings on their sites, and said I would foster him until one of the rescues found a suitable home for him (we had already signed a new lease that only allowed 2 dogs max, which we already had so we never thought we would be able to keep him).  So, on we went with our move to the Shenandoah Valley and took this little pup with us. 

The beginning was really really rough.  I wish I would've discovered the pit bull blogging community back then!  He was a clever escape artist, mangling 3 different dog crates, he was malnourished, had various wounds at all different stages of healing.  He had terrible separation anxiety also, which was the hardest to fix.  Two days before we moved he escaped from his cage while I was at work and shredded every single box we had packed, clothes, books, shoes, etc.  We quickly realized we needed help.  Thank goodness for all of the wonderful resources offered by the pit bull rescues in Richmond and for our life saving doggie day care and training center DogServices that agreed to take him for day care at the last minute so he could play and be socialized in the week leading up to the move so it wouldn't stress him out anymore than he already was.  We wouldn't have made it through the move and the first few weeks without them.  He learned so much and made so many friends there, not to mention being so tired from playing all day that when he got home the was wiggle room to work on the separation anxiety.
Once we got to our new home, things settled down a bit because he finally had some predictability and a schedule; exercise, training, etc.  We quickly found an AKC Star Puppy and Canine Good Citizen certified trainer (Leader of the Pack) in the area enrolled him in classes.  What a fast learner he was!  In his Star Puppy class, only two pups passed the test, and he was one of them!!  Next step CGC!!!  About a week after he was enrolled in training classes I was contacted by Bully Paws saying that they had someone who wanted to adopt Rusty from one of the courteous listings.  It was at that moment that I realized I could never give him up.  He meant the world to me, so we decided to keep him and thankfully everything worked out with our leasing company!  All in all this little pittie (not so little anymore, almost 60lbs!!) has changed my life.  He was my first rescue and he won't be my last.  There is such a different connection to be had with an animal when it knows you saved it's life and you know that he/she has forever changed you as a person. 

A little more about Russ:  He has the most beautiful eyes in the world, light green.  He loves snuggling, wet kisses, and playing with his big (but much smaller) brothers!  He loves every dog and child he comes in contact with and the only time you will hear a peep out of him is if he wants to play with a dog or a child at the park and they don't want to play with him or don't notice him at all (which is hard to do).  He loves tennis balls and his laser pointer more than all of his other toys combine.  He is a lazy boy most days, but when it's time to play outside, he goes into a full blown "pit fit" (butt tucked, ears back, running in circles like a crazy man!).  He loves tall grass and how it feels on his belly when he army crawls across the yard.  He LOVES the water; rivers, creeks, you name it he will jump in.  He is the best cuddler to catch a nap with.  I could go on and on..... 
There are limited resources and limited awareness for pit bulls in the rural area of the VA that we live in now, the Shenandoah Valley.  The Augusta Regional SPCA and Augusta Dog Adoptions are some that I've found so far.  One of my goals for starting this blog was not only to document Rusty's life with us, but to help raise awareness for pit bull advocacy in the Valley.  I make it my goal on a daily basis to change one person's opinions about these wonderful creatures, and that usually happens thanks to my little boy's incredible personality.  Everyone he meets can't help but love him. 
If you have any advice or comments about any of my posts, I would love to hear from you!  Please be respectful though.  I hope you enjoy reading, and that you find some of the posts interesting or helpful, or that they just bring a smile to your day!
Thanks for following!

Kitti & Rusty