Adopter Name

Deb Kennedy

Rescue Dog’s Name

Pita

Where Did You Find Your Dog?

I adopted Pita from the East Bay SPCA in Oakland, CA in June of 2011. She was part of their ”Second Chance Club”. She had been picked up as a stray back in 2005 at 4 yrs.old. She was spayed and adopted out, and was in a home for 6 yrs. Her owner became ill and had to surrender her back to the SPCA. Pita was in the shelter for 3 months before I adopted her. I saw her picture on their web site, even though I wasn’t really looking for a dog quite yet. (Yeah, right!)

Tell Us About the Moment When You Knew that You Two Were Meant for Each Other.

The picture of Pita was truly awful. She was really miserable in the shelter and looked like ”a grumpy old man” as one of my friends said. In addition, she had no teeth on the left side of her mouth and so had a really crooked face. That’s what hooked me – her crooked little face. When I went to meet her and adopt her, both my friend and I said, ”Oh, look how cute she is!” You would never had known it from the photo! I just knew I couldn’t leave that crooked little face at the shelter. She lost most of the teeth on the right side last year, and it’s evened out her face quite a bit!

How Has Your Hero Changed Your Life?

Pita has been a great addition to the Crew. I also have two guinea pigs, Django and Drover (also rescues). Adjusting to her new life and being part of a team was a challenge for Pita. She was a submissive urinator, but at the same time channels Cujo if she feels threatened or is hurt in any way (e.g. a sticker in her foot). She has taught me so much and I love her like crazy. It took her about two years to really settle in. Suddenly last summer, she quit peeing at the drop of a hat. Then she started to let me pull stickers out of her feet without biting. I can leave the room with her at one end of the couch and the guinea pigs at the other end (couch party!!). She is stubborn, resilient, sweet and she wakes up happy every day. She loves people, but is not good with dogs. We are working on that. She makes me proud every day. I love to walk her around the neighborhood and share her story.