On this date in 2019, I officially adoped Kirby, my Staffordshire terrier that was brought to me in July 2019 as a behavioral foster.
The city animal shelter had (mis)labeled him as aggressive, and wanted him returned from the Humane Society so they could put him down. Thankfully, the Humane Society director reached out to me and asked if I could help, labelling me as ‘Kirby’s last chance’ (no pressure there, right??).
Living in Decatur at the time, Scout and I made the drive down to LaGrange to meet with Kirby and see what he was all about. In the first five minutes I could tell that Kirby was not aggressive, he just had no manners or boundaries, which made sense due to his upbringing.
The next day, the director brought him to my house, and so began his training.
Kirby quickly became my shadow, always picking a spot where he could keep a close eye on me, but just out of arms reach.
He clearly wanted to be a part of the pack, he just didn’t always know how to behave or handle himself, but we made some big strides in the first few days at my house.
On Sunday, the first day he woke up at my house, he leanred the value of getting withim arms reach, and thoroughly enjoyed great sritches and ear rubs.
In October, I moved from one county to another, and the Department of Agriculture rules, which oversee fostering in Georgia, pressed me to either adopt him, or return him to the shelter. Knowing that the city animal shelter was still gunning for him, I opted for adopting, making Kirby my first foster fail!
While signing the papers, Kirby sat excitedly in front of me, and while he could not have known all about the adventures to come, the energy was certainly postitive and electric.
Kirby has gone on to travel all over the country with Scout and I, has swum in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean, has kicked up dirt in 26 states, and continues to be an excellent dog~!
Kirby is a testament to what positive training and handling can do for a dog, how stupid it is to dismiss a dog because of the experience of one poorly trained handler, and how important it is to give the dog a chance to make it in this world. As is often said, it’s not the dog, it’s the handler, and Kirby continues to be an ambassdor for his breed, making friends everywhere he goes!
Happy Gotcha day, Kirby, and here’s to many more!
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