On Rescue Dogs

About 5 years ago, I met the love of my life. I'm speaking, of course, about my pitbull/lab mix, Roscoe.

This post may be considered an excuse to dump a ton of photos of my dog on you, and that would be a pretty fair assessment. But I was inspired to write this when I found out I won Kerrying On's Dollars for Doggies Giveaway, which I entered by donating a couple bucks to some deserving animal rescue organizations. We brought Roscoe into my family from the PAWS Humane Shelter in Georgia after seeing a photo of him online, and it was love at first sight.

I regularly refer to him as "big fat baby" because his ideal sitting location is your lap, or your chest, or your feet, or your shoulder. I have never met a more affectionate or well-behaved dog in my life. He lives to protect my family and never stops trying to make us happy. When he's not doing his best "human infant" impersonation on my couch, you can find him looking lovingly into my boyfriend's eyes:

Catching frisbees:

Or getting his teeth stuck in his upper lip and looking like a doggy elvis impersonator:

There might not be a lot of adoptable dogs in your area, and you may be wary of picking up a dog off of a bus and bringing him or her into your life without even meeting them first. But I implore you to consider this option before you jump into a sketchy situation with a puppy mill or a pet store. Even if the adoptable dog population is not dense in your area (it certainly wasn't in Massachusetts), there are thousands of pups all around the country that need good homes and would benefit strongly from your love. If you're nervous about your new friend's disposition, call up the shelter or foster mom that is hosting them now! Roscoe's shelter workers had nothing but good things to say about him, and they were so sad to see him go that they called to check up on him a few months later.

I can't explain to you how close I am to this dog. I missed him so terribly when I was abroad, and I'll absolutely die when I move to Boston this September and I can't see his little face waiting outside my door every morning. I have a lot of feelings about my l'il best friend, but my point is, he never would have been in my life if we hadn't adopted him from Georgia.

We've determined that he had a bit of a spotty past, and the fact that he is part pitbull might have scared some people off, but our decision to bring him into our family is something I'm thankful for each and every day. If you have the chance to adopt, I strongly urge you to check out PetFinder and see what kind of furry friends might be waiting for a place in your home.

And I especially urge you to give sweet pitbulls a second look. They have a bad reputation, but a pitbull is only as bad as the treatment he or she receives. Like most dogs, all they want is to love and be loved in return. And they have so much love to give if you give them a chance!

If you don't have room for a new addition in your place, try volunteering at or donating to some reputable local shelters. The Humane Society is also a great national charity that puts the needs of animals first.

Thanks for reading, and thank you again to Kerry and all the generous ladies who hosted the Dollars for Doggies giveaway. Pups can't speak for themselves, so they need humans like you to advocate for them. In return, you'll get all the love and kisses you can handle! And doesn't that sound like a great reward?