Junior & Me

Junior came into this world homeless while my life was spinning around in chaos. He was born on October 19, 2008. In the fall of 2008 I lost my father, my boyfriend, our apartment, and our dog was hit by a car and taken from us. Needless to say, that time in my life was an overwhelmingly sad period, and I was plodding through each day just trying to make it through to get the next day.
Junior was fortunate enough to have been taken in by a rescue in Kentucky, and his picture put up on their website in hopes of finding him an adopter and a forever home. My mother came across this picture and immediately fell in love.

I mean, how could you not? She decided that a puppy was exactly what I needed in my life, and Junior was adopted. I was equally overwhelmed and excited when she told me this news. Puppies are a lot of work, and I had become content running through a mundane day, followed by a mundane night, leading into the next mundane morning. Regardless, Junior was set to arrive on January 12, 2009. He made the long journey here from Kentucky in a huge trailer pulled by a pick up truck. Having driven to Kentucky myself, I knew what a long trip this was- about 22 hours. We waited patiently for their arrival with a group of other adopters, and when the trucks pulled up the excitement was palpable. They put Junior in my arms, and it was love at first sight for us both.

At this point in the story, I think it is important to share this fact with you - Junior is an American Staffordshire Terrier, one of the three breeds that make up the classification of pitbull.  The American Staffordshire Terrier was recognized as a breed by the American Kennel Club in 1936 and is described by them in the following ways:
"Courageous and strong, the American Staffordshire Terrier (Am Staff)’s athletic build and intelligence make him ideally suited to many dog sports such as obedience, agility, tracking and conformation. He is often identified by his stocky body and strong, powerful head."
"The Am Staff is a people-oriented dog that thrives when he is made part of the family and given a job to do. Although friendly, this breed is loyal to his family and will protect them from any threat. His short coat is low-maintenance, but regular exercise and training is necessary."
"The American Staffordshire Terrier should give the impression of great strength for his size, a well put-together dog, muscular, but agile and graceful, keenly alive to his surroundings. He should be stocky, not long-legged or racy in outline. His courage is proverbial."
 

I have to share a simple fact with you. It is impossible to own a pit bull, and not become an advocate of the breed. A friend of ours had found a pit puppy in a dumpster after a night of drinking at one of his favorite spots, and as he put it "she was the only woman he ever brought with him." Upon getting to know her, and witness their relationship, our love of the breed was born. I acquired a beautiful brindle staffordshire terrier for my boyfriend as a birthday gift, and there are no words to describe how in love with him we were, as well as him with us. Kermit was an amazing dog, and he possessed a unique air of awesomeness that I had never seen. I had researched and researched, and then researched some more before acquiring him due to the stigma that the breed holds, and as Kermit became a part of our lives he carved out a notch in my heart that hadn't been there before.

Kermit was struck and killed by a car in December of 2008. He was a year and a half old. When we lost him at such an early age I was devastated, and tried to come to terms with this loss.  My heart was so broken, that getting another dog was the furthest hing from my mind... until my mom told me that in a few weeks I would again be a mom to a puppy. To say I had mixed emotions would be a colossal understatement. Kermit's passing was such a jagged raw piercing pain, and with everything that I had lost that fall. I was pretty closed off to opening my heart and letting myself get attached to anything again, for the simple logic that I couldn't bear to loose anything else. Fortunately, there is no logic behind love and as the Rolling Stones infamously said "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes well you just might find, you get what you need."
 

When Junior came into my life, I was living in an apartment in Dorchester with roommates I had found on Craig's list. My living space was reserved to one room, although it was the "living room" area of the apartment, so I had it set up as a decent sized studio apartment. To maximize this space, I had purchased a combo bunk bed/futon. I re-arranged the small space to accommodate Junior's house, ie. his crate, and realized that this was not exactly ideal housing for a dog that was estimated to grow into a 65 pound body. When he arrived, he was about 12 pounds of clumsy adorable puppy, and from the first night we spent there until our last night when he weighed in at about 60 pounds, Junior and I slept in the top of my bunk bed in a twin bed. I couldn't have imagined it any other way.
 

I hadn't lived in Boston with Kermit, and was also faced with entirely new prejudices against his breed that I never knew of. Withing Boston city limits, pitbulls are required to be muzzled when outside. Non-compliance with this law would result in being ticketed and fined. Junior and I ventured to the pet store, and I bought a muzzle. It's still in it's original package, because I never had the heart to put it on him.
At this point I need to bore you with a few more facts about pitbulls. There are three dogs that fall under the classification of pitbull: American pitbull terrier, American staffordshire terrier, and staffordshire bull terrier. Annually a group called the American Temperament Test Society, Inc. conducts temperament testing on all breeds of dogs. This is a synopsis on what this non-profit organization does.
 

"Because of breed-specific dog legislation and negative publicity associated with many breeds of dogs, temperament testing has assumed an important role for today's dog fancier. The ATTS Temperament Test provides breeders a means for evaluating temperament and gives pet owners insight into their dog's behavior. It can have an impact on breeding programs and in educating owners about their dog's behavioral strengths and weaknesses as well as providing a positive influence on dog legislation. W. Handel, German Police Dog Trainer, in his article, "The Psychological Basis of Temperament Testing," defines temperament as: "the sum total of all inborn and acquired physical and mental traits and talents which determines, forms and regulates behavior in the environment." The ATTS test focuses on and measures different aspects of temperament such as stability, shyness, aggressiveness, and friendliness as well as the dog's instinct for protectiveness towards its handler and/or self-preservation in the face of a threat. The test is designed for the betterment of all breeds of dogs and takes into consideration each breed's inherent tendencies. The test simulates a casual walk through the park or neighborhood where everyday life situations are encountered. During this walk, the dog experiences visual, auditory and tactile stimuli. Neutral, friendly and threatening situations are encountered, calling into play the dog's ability to distinguish between non-threatening situations and those calling for watchful and protective reactions."
 

You can find specifics on what the test entails on their website. I do want to share with you a few of their findings. The passing average of all dogs in 2011 was 83%. The American Pitbull Terrier passed at 86.4%, the American Staffordshire Terrier passed at 84.2%, and the Staffordshire Bull Terrier passed 89.7% - all above the average passing rate. Here is a list of commonly accepted dogs as pets that rated below and a few on par with the pitbull: American Eskimo, Beagle, Boston Terrier, Boxer, Chinese Crested, Dachshund, Dalmatian, German Shepherd, Golden Retriever, Toy Poodle, and lastly the Portuguese Water dog who is the official dog of the white house, at 77.8%.
 

There are equally as many pro-pitbull websites as there are anti-pitbull websites. When I started this weeks challenge, I began reading through them although I am already familiar with what they both have to say. I felt bogged down just looking at the information they provided. I know it is subjective on each side, and I decided to exclude it from here for that reason, and also to try to keep a leash on my advocacy and the level of preachiness that I would allow into this story. I do feel it necessary to share some of the obstacles you face by owning this breed of dog though, as it is pertinent to my challenge this week.
 

As Junior began to grow, and our relationship developed I found myself emotionally hitting a wall at times, because I really felt like it was impossible for me to fill that void that was left by Kermit. I was too afraid to allow myself to become attached again. The great thing about dogs though, is that they are incapable of acknowledging your baggage, and they just push you forward by being great. Junior is chock full of his own unique awesomeness, and soon that void I had in my heart began filling up against my own better judgement.

A year ago, our lives changed. We left Boston, and moved to Agawam with my mother. I found out I was pregnant, and Jameson joined our family on November 15, 2010. I was entirely unsure how Junior would respond to having a baby in the house. Regardless of his breed, I know families whose dogs were jealous of the baby, not patient, snapped at the child or for whatever reason they had to give up their pets. My mother brought home a blanket that smelled of the baby to prepare him for our arrival, and Junior was over the moon with excitement and joy when we arrived home with Jameson. Now, 6 months later, Junior is still that overjoyed every time he sees Jameson, and he is the only one in the house that is regularly given kisses by Junior. When the baby sleeps in his crib, or swings in his swing Junior lays by him and keeps guard. It is an immense security knowing that Junior in not only as in love with Jameson as we are, but also that he instinctively protects and guards my baby with his loving heart and capable 77 pound body.

The last story I want to share with you is of a recent illness I had. In the middle of February I ran a fever that spiked up and down for several days from normal to 103.8 at it's highest. I thought I had the flu, and laid in bed freezing from the fever. As I lay there, Junior laid with me, spooning his body into mine, and kept me warm while I whimpered in pain. I was finally diagnosed with a kidney infection, and spent three days in the hospital. Before I left, and once again when I came home, my dog lay by my side or at my feet, but always with me while I was not well. Every night I go to sleep, and every morning I wake up Junior is there. Words cannot express the comfort that is felt from 77 pounds of warm, soft puppy love.

 "My goal in life is to be as good of a person my dog already thinks I am." ~ Author Unknown

My challenge this week for the Indie Ink writing challenge was from Alyssa Ammirato and the challenge was "fiction or non-fiction, write about a relationship - of any sort - that succeeded against all odds."