Tuesday, July 18th -- I receive the following:

Hi Eric,

I'm a veterinarian in Ohio and I too love pitt bulls. I have a dilemna. I treated and saved a pitt bull puppy 2 weeks ago from parvo. The owners are unable to pay and have now abandoned the puppy. Instead of euthanizing this great puppy with a wonderful spirit, I'm trying to find a rescue agency.

Speed is of the essence. My boss wants him gone ASAP. Is there anyway you could help me in a timely manner?

Respectfully, Dr. Julie, DVM

As soon as she gets him it's easy to see --

-- this boy is sweet, through and through!

Here's little Fudgie's house-mates --

-- starring Zoie, in the pink collar!

Little Fudge's story goes a little deeper than meets the eye --

-- he came to see Dr. Julie in late June, owned by "owners" who were raising him to fight --

-- he had a fighting name, and their intentions were clear --

-- but, he had parvo -- parvo so bad he couldn't shake it on his own.

Dr. Julie took Fudge in, treated him, and readied him for discharge.

Well, Fudge's "owners" wanted their boy back, to start his "training", but they couldn't afford the bill for his treatment --

-- thus, he was left at the clinic, abandoned.

For many dogs, especially pit bulls in Ohio, this is a death sentence.

Ohio is still a tough state for pit bulls, and most vets are too busy with their practices to work with rescue to free a soul such as Fudge's --

-- but little Fudge was different -- he was sweet beyond belief, and Dr. Julie saw that.

Here he is, an every day pal of sweet Zoie -- !!

Stacey writes --

"The first twelve hours with Super Fudge

My neighbor girl named him Fudge, but I am sure that he will be happy with any name that you or his new family give him.  From what I know, he came from a bad situation and had a bad name.  

He was 10 weeks old when he arrived at the vet's on June 26th, so he's about 13 weeks old now."

" He was dying of parvo and very underweight.  The vet was kind enough to take him home at night to nurse him back to health.  

If it wasn't for Dr. Julie, this boy probably would not have made it through the night.  He was dewormed, given vaccinations, and bordetella.  

As you can see from the pictures, he is still very skinny, but he is now up to 17 pounds.   He does well in a crate if you are in the same room with him; he slept in the crate next to my bed last night and didn't make a peep."

"He is so smart for his age; he already knows how to sit and lay down and I really think he is potty trained (no accidents).  

He plays well with kids and with other dogs.  

He has the sweetest temperament, almost as if he knows that he has been given a second chance."

Well, what a prince this boy is -- really --

-- and HOW SMART -- !!

After the hand-off to Stacey, Dr. Julie wrote --

"Dear Eric -- How can I thank you for what you've done for me today. I met Stacey and she is a sweetheart.

The little chocolate puppy you two rescued today will have a great and wonderful life because of you. He has such a happy spirit about him and an amazing will to live.

I couldn't save him from parvo just to see him put to sleep. Especially over money."

"Please know that what you are doing in this world is wonderful and you should be very proud of yourself.

Because of you, and others like you, the world as just become a better place.

Thank you again, from the bottom of my heart. Please, if I can do anything for your organinzation, just let me know.

Respectfully and sincerly, Julie"

Well, this is definitely a happy ending in the making, and Fudge will only go to the best of homes.

What this also is, to me, is an affirmation of how great people can be --

-- both Dr. Julie and Stacey went to extraordinary measures to save this boy from a life of fighting, cruelty and certain death at a young age.

Parvo, instead of hurting Fudge, has given him a second chance.

It gave him another run-around with humanity, and this time, he struck it gold.

Little Fudge, as Stacey notes, knows he's blessed -- by the way he acts, and the way he loves.

He'll heal up just fine, too, with the shaved fur on his legs growing back in, and the prior parvo having no effect on his future days whatsoever.

So, here's where you come in --

-- you're the responsible, caring owner, who is ready for a 15 year commitment.

You'll promise Fudge a high-quality diet, vetting when needed, acknowledgment of his breed trait, and, most importantly, love.

Love that he will return to you every day of his re-born life.

Are you ready? Are you able?

If so, fill out an application above --

-- and THANK YOU again, Dr. Julie and Stacey -- this is what living is all about!

Well, July and August certainly turned out to be blessed months for dear Fudgie --

-- he was fostered by Matt and Heidi in Upstate NY, and then we got a great application for him in Downstate, NY!

Nicole, from our forum, was kind enough to hike from Long Island to the mainland to do Fudgie's home visit, and it turned out LOVELY -- !!

So, before he knew it, he was in Melissa's car, going home --

And at home, meeting his new cousins --

-- I LOVE IT when "men" make themselves "boys" again with pups -- !!

And here's the best intentions --

"NO BED FOR FUDGIE" --

-- and here again, making up for his lost puppy-hood --

-- I am sure he'll take all the hugging he can get -- !!

-- and the hugs continue --

-- here's Fudgie's alpha training --

-- Fudgie, you can THINK you're on top of dad -- for a moment -- !!

And where he went is beautiful.

People can say, "Oh, it's just one dog, it doesn't make a difference on the grand scheme of things" --

-- but for us, it does.

For all the people who helped Fudge, it makes a world of difference --

-- you see, Fudge's life was to be spent in dog fighting -- supposedly, what he was "bred" for --

-- his prior "owners" in Ohio were to have Fudge fight to the end, and his life would have been short and painful --

-- and, to his favor, he got parvo somewhere along the way.

He came in to the vet clinic with the name "Murderer", and left little Fudge, blessed by some loving souls --

-- so, in our own way, we have pushed back against these "fighters" by giving this boy the best life possible --

-- and, in short, that's why we do every step of rescue --

-- for the one, voiceless soul who was dealt a bad hand in life --

-- happy journeys, Fudgie!

Well, I opened my mail last Friday to find this --

-- a care package from Fudgie's momma!

... and wrote...

... AWWW!!!

:D

So, there's a great comfort in reading such a letter, and in getting this care-package --

-- oftentimes, the river of emails, phone calls and hours driven seems too much --

-- and then a pup like Fudge comes along, where helping him proves to be a real joy in life --

So thank you to Dr. Julie, Matt, Heidi, Stacey, Jeff and mostly to Melissa and Dom, for seeing in this boy what others refused to --

-- Fudge is HOME!