Seven months ago, this dog bit me. There were twenty-one deep bite marks on my arm, leg, and toe. The scars remind me of it every day. It was one of the scariest and most painful things I’ve ever been through. I was traumatized for a couple of months. As a result, I was even scared of my own dogs for a while.
I brought Leo home one Saturday at the end of January when he showed up at a friend’s house. My friend couldn’t keep him, and none of his neighbors wanted him. When I went to see him, he seemed sweet – scared and lost – but sweet – and such a beautiful boy!
We had lost our pit bull to cancer several months before. She was the sweetest and most loving, docile dog we had ever had. We wanted another one at some point, but we already had 6 dogs and 3 cats. We didn’t need another dog, especially with caring for my dad. But, when I saw him, I couldn’t let him go to the shelter. There are already so many homeless, neglected dogs that overcrowd our shelters and rescues – especially pit bulls. My mom was in full-time dog rescue for 7 years before she had to stop to take care of my dad who has Alzheimer’s Disease. I know the sad reality in that world.
Long story short, the incident happened a couple of days after we brought him home. We were keeping him separated from our dogs until he settled in, slowly introducing them a little at a time. I have two dominant male dogs, and we knew we had our work cut out for us. We even had a trainer and another expert helping us.
One day, though, my dad let Leo inside where I was relaxing with my two dogs, and I didn’t know it. Leo came running in to see me. My dogs who were lying beside me, attacked Leo when he got too close to me. The fight happened quickly, and I was sitting in the middle of it. When I put my hand up and my leg out to protect myself from them, Leo redirected on me. He latched onto my arm and then my leg and foot and I couldn’t get him off of me. I was home alone with dad, and he was not able to help.
Somehow, I got to the front glass door and pushed Leo outside with his mouth still firmly embedded into and furiously shaking my arm. I slammed the door on him and on my arm to get him to release. Thank God he did once he was outside. My mom arrived home right after that to me lying in the floor, screaming in pain. She took me to the ER.
I was very scared, in shock actually, and in a lot of pain. It hurt my heart too. I didn’t know what we were doing to do. I knew pit bulls have a bad reputation, and I didn’t know if I could trust Leo not to bite me or someone else again. I didn’t know if he was aggressive, and at this point, I was terrified of him.
I called Royal Rescue who was helping us with him, and told them what happened. They explained that they couldn’t take a dog that had bitten anyone no matter what the situation because of the liability. Then, they explained the reality of my options. I could have him put to sleep or somehow try to rehabilitate him. They connected me to an obedience trainer who could evaluate him. If there was hope for him, Leo could go to intensive obedience training for two weeks to be rehabilitated. Then, I would have to be rehabilitated too.
In summary, the trainer said Leo was scared and overwhelmed, had most likely been mistreated, and had no behavioral training or socialization. He trained him intensively for two weeks to try to make up for what someone had not done for him for the first two years of his life. Then, I had to train with Leo so I could heal and establish trust. I also had to take my two dogs to train regularly so they could get used to each other and learn how to cohabitate. Then, we have continued training once a week with Leo, and working with him at home to keep up his progress.
There’s so much more to share. I could go on and on. We have spent hundreds of hours of time, tons of energy, and thousands of dollars on this boy – all because his previous owner abused and neglected him.
Call me crazy. I guess I am. Obviously it’s the healer in me, but I couldn’t give up on him. It wasn’t his fault somebody didn’t take care of him. It wasn’t his fault he was scared. It wasn’t his fault nobody taught him how to be a pet. But he was given a life, and I wasn’t going to take it from him without giving him a real chance.
Leo still has a long way to go. And he’s still a little bit psycho. But he is NOT aggressive or scary. He is just a baby who has been traumatized and feel insecure. He is now family, and we love him beyond measure – especially me. He has taught me so much about life and love. He is a reminder of just how much dogs need humans to help them heal from what other humans have done to them. He is evidence that when we help them heal, deep wounds inside of us are healed too. He has shown me a clear picture of how fear and trauma steal from us, and he’s a reminder of how important it is that we do the work to heal what’s broken inside. We don’t have to keep living in survival mode. Our doggies don’t either.
Most of all though, Leo is evidence of how powerful love really is. Love takes work. It is messy. It takes tons of time and energy. But the outcome is worth every bit of the effort. I am thankful that God gave me a supernatural love for this sweet baby. It is a gift to my own heart to see how God’s love in me has helped him heal. I can’t help but recognize how much God must love us as his children, and how He fights for us when we too, are lost, afraid, wounded, and traumatized.
The most beautiful truth in all of this is that love is the most powerful force in the universe. Love heals all wounds, and love always wins! Thank you, God for such an incredible and personal demonstration of what true love does in our heart. Thank you for knowing exactly how I would receive it. And thank you for this precious little gladiator of a dog whose heart has helped heal mine.
-Connie Jones
