Three Strikes and I'm . . . Adopted???

Hey Folks, I'm Loki.  

Jessie wanted me to write something for the second post of this blog thing that she is writing about me.  She’s typing for me because when I get on the computer, it looks something like this . . .

k,mvc kmbgvl,fcjnkvcxnkmjgbvlpDSejuh <----That's me, trying to type my name . . .

 

Anyways, I guess I want to tell you folks how lucky I am to live with Jessie and Marcin (I know that they are my mommy and daddy, but we have more fun when I recognize their names . . .I’ll blog about that later :)

The thing is - I should not have been adopted.  I should be moving from foster home to foster home, waiting eagerly for a forever home.  Why do you ask?  Because I have three strikes against me.

Strike 1:  I’m a Bully Breed Mix . . .

. . .and not just not any bully breed mix, but a pit bull and a bulldog mix!   

You can see my pit bull smile here

First time dog owners like Jessie and Marcin normally would be hesitant to go for a dog like me.  There are so many stereotypes out there about bully breeds, especially the pit bull breed.  Aggressive, violent, uncontrollable – these are the words used to describe pit bulls (and bull dogs to some extent).  

Luckily, Jessie and Marcin were already exposed to the breed through my foster family – The Lords and their pitbull mix, Lola.

Here's Lola, my doggie girlfriend

Jessie and Marcin were used to Lola, so when they met me, they were very open-minded.  Also, I was very charming with Jessie when I first met her.  She was so sweet, and Miika and Lola (my foster sister and girlfriend respectively) were happy to see her, I knew she was good peeps.  So, I turned on the charmed and showered her with kisses when we met.   

Strike #2:  I’m a big dude . . .

When my foster parents Tasha and Brian first took me in, I was a 2 year old, 90 pound pup.  That’s a lot of dog!  

See how big I am compare to Jessie and Marcin:

Me next to Marcin who is 5'9"

Me napping with Jessie who is 5'2"

Again, most first time owners want something cute, little, or at least manageable!  Lucky for me, Marcin wanted a “DOG” and I fit the bill.  Jessie was a little bit intimidated at first.  When we first met, I got a little exuberant with my kisses and knocked her over when she bent down to pet me.  I was just so excited to meet her!
 

But she took it in stride and my charm prevailed!  Now she feels safe having me around the house.  I also help boost her confidence as she has great pride with having me as her dog.  She loves telling everyone she meets that I’m an 84 pound pit bull/bulldog mix and there is nothing wrong with that. 

Marcin loves the fact that we can wrestle and rough house a bit.  Also, since they are both active humans, they take me on walks, runs, and bike rides.  Now I’m a healthier 84 pound pup.

Strike #3:  I’m Black . . .

Crazy as it sounds, but there is color discrimination even in the dog world.  It’s called Black-dog bias.  Big Black Dogs have the stereotype of being aggressive, violent, and territorial (thanks media!).  Also, apparently, we do not photograph well.  Personally, that is a bunch of hooey!  My mom, obnoxious photographer that she is, has gotten some great photos of me:

Here I am keeping the couch arm warm

I so wasn't ready for this close-up, but whateves

Jessie calls this my puppy face

Once again, I’m lucky that Marcin and Jessie love my coloring.  In fact, they were not aware of this bias until after they adopted me.  They call me Guinness (I hear it’s a great beer) because of the hints of brown that comes out of my coat in the summer.  
 

So despite being a pit bull, big, and black, Jessie and Marcin, two first time dog owners, took a chance and welcomed me into their home and now I have a family.  We call ourselves a Wolf Pack of Three. 

I have no idea where that came from, but they keep saying it, and I like the sound of it.  

So I want to leave you folks with this thing called a meme about pit bulls.  

It’s the truth yo!