My name is Amanda, I'm a massage therapist here in Houston.
Quite few years ago, my older sister brought home a skinny, dirty, malnourished, PREGNANT, underfed, shy but tail-waggin', red nose pit bull. She became Brandy Lynn - our first rescue, and the best introduction to the pit bull world a girl could ask for. Our sweet Brandy was showing all of her ribs and vertebrae, to the extent that you could lay fingers in between them. She had fighting scars on her face, neck, shoulders, etc. and a couple of cigar burn marks on her hindquarters. She weighed 36 pounds.
My father, who has since passed away, was an AVID dog lover, but being a hunter, we'd always had hunting dogs. My sister and I had been raised with them (and I mean raised - "dog sitter" isn't someone who babysits dogs, it's a dog who watches the babies) our entire lives, so dogs and dog behavior was nothing new to us.
The first thing out of my dad's mouth was "Elizabeth, where did you get a red nosed pit bull? Christ Almighty, look at her. Let's get her cleaned up and fed."
... And that was the end of it. We all melted. These bright amber eyes held the most intelligence I have ever seen sparkle in a dog's face. She just knew. She'd never received attention in her life that wasn't negative. After failing as a fighter, she was beaten and starved in attempts to prod her into viciousness, and when that failed, turned into a breeder. But one kind word, and you'd have to hop out of the way of her tail, cuz man, that thing could've leveled a building when she was excited. She picked up on everything quickly, was housebroken within a day or two, learned commands and tricks within minutes, and loved nothing more than a good snuggle.
She was best friends with my brother-in-law's APBT, King, and she helped teach the foster puppy they were raising her own manners. Her name is Shelby, and to this day, every one can tell, and is thankful that Brandy had a paw in raising her.
Shortly after, Brandy whelped FOURTEEN puppies. I know. We almost lost one due to a cleft palate, but he was a fighter, and his strong spirit survived. We named him Jake, then runt of the litter, who ended up 88 pounds, we ended up keeping. We vetted and wormed them, gave them their vaccinations, and attempted to find good homes for thirteen of them. Jake, little ball of fire that he was, stayed with us. Momma Brandy taught him the ropes. After much TLC, at a healthy weight, Ms. Brandy weighed in at about 85 lbs, lean. She was a very athletic girl.
My dad was a very wise man, especially when it came to dogs, as he'd been raising and working them for 50+ years, and said "Never in my life have I seen a better dog than Brandy." She was the light of all of our lives. Sadly, the same year that Brandy whelped her puppies, my father developed cancer. He passed away shortly after. About a year after that, my sister had her own baby. A wiggling, wriggling, funny smelling pink ball of arms and legs that Brandy adored more than her own puppies. (She didn't care for them much, all that feeding I guess.) When my sister moved back to Houston from San Antonio, her apartment wouldn't accept Brandy, "vicious baby eater" that she was, so she left her with a friend in San Antonio. She signed a three month lease, and began looking for a house in the meantime, with the plans of bringing Brandy Lynn home as soon as the lease was up. The friend died. He lived alone and had no family, and no one knows what has happened to Brandy.
Jake was put down this year. He had cancer, and there was nothing else to be done for him. Our vet said the kindest thing to do would be to let him go. He couldn't fight any more.
Our family has since adopted another rescue pit bull, Sienna, (found tied to a dumpster at a truck stop in Louisiana), but as my own personal crusade, I continue to look for our Brandy Lynn, the sweet girl who let us heal her, and brightened my dad's last days with her bully kisses and silly antics.
Myself, I own a lovely boxer, Bunny, who will be 7 years old tomorrow. I hope soon to adopt another pit bull, one who needs me just as much as I need him.
Jeez, I talk a lot. Well anyway, thanks for having me, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of you.
Ah,
Look at that young fresh face. Oh, and Brandy doesn't look bad either. LOL, our sweet girl and me, about 6 years ago. If you're in San Antonio and have seen her/have her/know anything about where she might be, please know, we'd do anything to get her back.
-a
