Roo's Take
Saturday, July 7, 2012 at 4:57PM Wallace is a rescued American Pit Bull Terrier. He was found as a stray and turned into the Humane Society. Wallace is one of the highest drive dogs I have ever come across, so it was no surprise that he did not do well in the kennel environment. Unfortunately, the “low kill” shelter that is set up to help him, started targeting him for euthanasia because he was a “liability”. He wasn't an angel by any means, but what do you expect from an off-the-chart working dog that was bored out of his mind. The organization does some good things. This was just eye opening to the amount of misunderstanding there is regarding this breed among the people that are supposed to be there to help, and how much politics can affect the lives of the animals that are in a shelter's care.
With the help of some others, my wife and I were able to pull him out before he was put down. We put our money where our mouth is, so to speak, and since being rescued Wallace has surpassed any expectations we could have imagined. Our mission now is to use Wallace's story to inspire other bully owners to get out there and show off their fellow breed ambassadors. We also want to educate as many people as we can about the truth regarding these dogs. Since taking on this mission, Wallace has earned the respect of people from all over the world. And he competes right along side the best disc dogs on the planet. A list of his accomplishments is listed below. However, Wallace doesn't care if he gets a trophy or not. He just knows he's alive and he's having fun chasing a piece of flying plastic all over the country. At each competition we've been to, whether we take home the gold or just end up back at home, we have changed the mind of somebody and opened their eyes to think differently about the “Pit Bull” breed. That's what it's all about!! —Roo Yori
Reader Comments (2)
I love how you've put this: "He wasn't an angel by any means, but what do you expect from an off-the-chart working dog that was bored out of his mind."
This sums it up so succinctly for me; it's something I've been struggling to put into words. I transport pit bulls frequently from the high-kill New York Animal Care and Control in Manhattan, to the rescued dogs' "forever" home. One of the things I love about transporting is, I get to take the newly-sprung pit bull out into the wild for a hike, somewhere between NYCACC and their new home. Sometimes we'll be on the trail for an hour or two.
And what I always marvel at, after a minute or so on the trail, the dog unleashed and free, is how they survived being caged in the first place. For the most part, they just EXPLODE into their freedom. They are so happy, so curious and yet dedicated to their human companion. We always take just as much time as they need to "air it out", and then we get back in the car.
Yes: what do people expect? Sometimes life is extra-hard on the little ones. Thank God for rescue.
Love the video on this site; I've watched it again and again.
Thanks.
Suzy Allman
CharlieDog and Friends
I work at a No Kill shelter in TX. We are the only shelter in the city that doesn't kill a dog because of how it looks. I fell in love with Pit Bulls and Bully breeds almost immediately after starting my position at this shelter, so just want to thank you for all the work you're doing on behalf of misunderstood dogs. And thank you for saving Wallace! My next book purchase will be Wallace's book. :)
Gratefully,
Jennifer