Pit Bulls, Please: About

Pit Bulls have not always been a part of my life, but animals have.

I always had a pet. It started with a cat named Figaro, then two turtles named Lucy and Ricky, Patches the Pony, and Woobie the fish.

As for dogs...well let's see, there's been Missy, and Blanka (a wolf hybrid - BEAUTIFUL dog), Beggin, and Jack, also Brandy, and Amigo (a chihuahua that was my first and best friend for 15 years).

Quote by A.D. Williams

During October of 2012, Chase the Pit Bull came into my life. My husband and I were not yet engaged (he popped the question on Halloween of that same year) and as I stepped into his tiny one bedroom apartment I was greeted by a little black puppy with a white stripe down his nose bouncing around at my feet.

My first reaction, "Oh. My. Gosh. You. Are. So. Cute." then it was, "CLINT!!!! You can't have pets at your apartment!!! You're going to get evicted!!!"

It's true, there was my not quite yet soon to be husband picking up a little tiny being from his apartment floor that was banned.

The first thing you need to know about my husband is that he is very headstrong in what he believes. If he believes that something is unfair or wrong, he will fight it, tooth and nail. I admire that trait. Too many of us sit by on the sidelines hoping someone else will come along and help correct what is wrong with the world.

His first argument was that he could count on both hands the number of people that lived in his apartment complex that had a pet. I didn't care. I am a rule follower and he was breaking a rule.

But it was his second argument that hit me straight in the heart.

This little tiny black puppy, which I was now noticing had one white paw like he was wearing a little sock, had been found by Clint. He was hiding underneath a lawnmower in the garage of a guy that he knew.

Clint told me how the poor little guy was walking and laying in his own excrement, and his owners had no food, no water, no nothing to provide for him. It was a classic case of people taking on the responsibility of caring for a being, and not being responsible.

Clint had no money on him at the time, so he went to the truck and found whatever he could and made a trade. The puppy now belonged to him.

As I walked through the apartment I could see where Clint had put a bowl of puppy food and water. Also, disposable potty pads were spread across the carpet, some of which were already frayed and chewed up by little puppy teeth. And there was Clint, holding this small black puppy, with blue eyes and little ears, and oh look he has a white tip on his tail.

I was sold.

At the time I was in the process of building our house, and construction would be completed in just a few months. We could do it. We could hide this little puppy in his apartment for just a few months. Then we would bring him to our home.

His name was Chase and he was a Pit Bull.

When I heard the words Pit Bull, I got nervous. I had never owned a Pit Bull and the only knowledge I had of them was from what I had heard from the media.

Clint on the other hand was solid. "He's just a dog, like every other dog."

And I as came to know Chase, I understood. This creature was not inherently evil or vicious. He was a puppy that did puppy things. He pooped and peed where he wasn't supposed to, he chewed on everything he could get his mouth on, and he loved to pounce and play, and followed Clint everywhere he went.

The two became inseparable and I smiled at the positive impact Chase was having on my now fiance, helping him through a particularly rough patch in his life.

Chase was a good puppy. He eventually learned to use the potty pads and we were down to only having just a couple on the floor. He didn't bark or cry when we left, except for one time, when Clint's landlord just so happened to be at the door.

With one little "Yip!" it was over. Get rid of the dog or get out.

Clint stood firm. He would rather be homeless than give up Chase. And I was right there with him. But with the house almost completed and the expenses of building a house, it just didn't make sense to find a new apartment, let alone no one would rent for such a short period of time. I had to find Chase a home.

I was going over every possible scenario, boarding, doggy daycare, just lying and hiding Chase in the apartment.

One afternoon I was visiting my friend Jessica at her work when I mentioned our trouble and started crying. I couldn't let go of Chase. He had become family. Then Jessica said, "I will watch him for you." And I cried some more.

To this day I feel like I am still in her debt for doing that favor. Even though she insisted it was no big deal, "We watch dogs all the time!" This wasn't just a dog, this was my baby.

Jessica lives on a farm and owns, honestly, I don't really know how many dogs. Like me, she is a born animal lover, and her passion for animals, along with being just a super awesome chick, is one of the reasons why she is my best friend.

So Chase stayed with Aunt Jessica and Uncle Nate, playing with all the dogs, and even finding his first girlfriend, Maggie, a yellow lab who was a good 10 years older than him. That cougar.

Our house was completed, later than scheduled, but still complete. And Chase came back to live with us. Although, my little baby was not a baby anymore, but a full grown dog. Despite that fact, he was still our Chasey Boy and still loved to play and steal the blanket right off of you to make a bed in the floor.

Chase is a dog, just like any other dog. He loves to smile and have his belly scratched and give you wet slobbery kisses. Just because he looks a certain way does not mean he is a certain way. Having Chase has made life more enjoyable. We often find ourselves say "What would we do without him?" The answer to that question: I have no idea. Chase is family, and our family always stays together.

Now. Dry your eyes and enjoy these cute pictures of my little-big boy.

(I apologize for the poor quality of some of the photos, they are the earliest pictures we have of Chase and were taken on a cheap camera phone.)