Lollie’s friends and fans offer a lot of questions and suggestions like “you seem so happy together, don’t you think you should just adopt her?” And I admit, this seems very logical. Especially when her silly little booty is snuggled up to my hip as I type, she snores softly at my side, and she occasionally stirs—not enough to entirely wake up, but enough for her eyes to flutter and for her tongue to give my pant leg a few heartfelt licks. As much as we are going to miss this sweet girl when she goes, there are a few key reasons that she won’t be our foreverdog.

"this may not look cozy to you, but i'm quite comfy here"

1. Every pit bull we adopt out is a pit bull that won’t be euthanized in a shelter. I read recently that more than half of dogs euthanized in shelters due to overcrowding are pit bulls, and yet pit bulls comprise only about five percent of the U.S. dog population. Sure, some sweethearts like Lollie would have been adopted from the shelter anyway, but many wouldn’t. Many fabulous potential dog owners wouldn’t look twice at Lollie in the shelter—scratches on her face, yellowed from the time she spent in a dumpster before her rescue, pacing and jumping from nerves and boredom. Some of those dog owners might be overwhelmed by a shelter and choose to buy a dog from a breeder instead, or they might adopt one out of a foster home—a calmer, more controlled environment. People who would never think to adopt a pit bull see us with Lollie—a non-controversial, professional, young duo—and can suddenly picture her in their life, too. These are the connections we can help people make while we continue to foster dogs. But if we keep Lollie, our foster days are over and we won’t be saving any dogs from euthanasia.

2. Every pit bull we adopt out will cultivate at least one dedicated pit bull advocate. If it’s true what some advocates say, that most people who are scared of pit bulls are just people who have never met one in person, then it must follow that most people who are not dedicated pit bull advocates are just people who have never owned one. Welcome one of these sweets into your home and into your heart, and you will have no choice but to fall, like so many others have.  When I met my own wonderdog Chick, I was not looking for a pit bull. I wasn’t even looking for a dog. I tell people that I didn’t pick him—he picked me. And before I realized what was happening to me, Chick quickly converted me into an advocate for the breed group. And between the often unfairly negative public image, the large number of dogs that fall into (or are created by) the wrong hands, and the overwhelming population of pits in shelters, this breed group could use more responsible, loving advocates in its corner. I have no doubt that the lucky family who adopts Lollie will quickly fall not just for her, but for her brothers and sisters, too.

3. In the end, Chick is king. Apparently Lollie’s ample natural charms are more effective on people (in fact on every person she meets) than they are on her dear foster brother Chick. Over the few months Lollie has been living with us the two wonderdogs have come to an agreement in which they mutually tolerate and respect each other, but they are not best friends. If we were ever to adopt a second dog, we would want the new dog and Chick to be best buds. Fortunately or unfortunately, these two lovelies just don’t have the chemistry to be BFF, and that’s that. After all, we all know who is boss around here.

"i'm going to close my eyes and count to three, and her forever family better be here already"

For more info on adopting Lollie, contact us at DCpetographer [at] gmail [dot] com or 301-520-7123.

There are a couple of big advantages in adopting a dog from a foster home rather than a shelter. First, foster families are able to gather and share an enormous amount of information about the animal’s behavior, personality, and training. Even if well cared for, a dog in a shelter environment will act differently than after a few weeks settling in to a home, and there are certain things that are impossible to assess or predict in a shelter environment. With Lollie, it took about six weeks for what we consider her “real” personality to emerge (the one that celebrates the little things by doing head stands, and does a little bobble head move at a new sound).

Second, animals in foster care are more likely to be spayed / neutered and have had major and minor medical needs cared for. Lollie came to us unaltered, and we made arrangements for her spay a few weeks later. We monitored her as her surgery wound healed, gave her pills, applied ointments, shuttled her to follow-up visits at the vet, and kept her calm as she recovered. She also arrived with irritated, flaky skin and sores around her feet. We treated the pads and knuckles of her feet with soothing shampoo and carefully kept her clean and on soft bedding so she could heal. Many dogs go into foster care with more serious ailments, and by the time they are adopted, they have been treated and are “good as new.” These are all things that a foster dog’s future (where are you?) forever family will not have to deal with, making the transition that much easier.

Another advantage of foster animals is that in the right care, they are able to get a head start on the skills and habits that will make them a very good pet. We have crate trained Lollie carefully from the start, and because she is a very good sport who never complains, she has taken to it well. When we walk into the room and tell her “load up!” she trots in and sits to receive a snack or treat.

But it wasn’t until last night that– for the first time– she decided it was bedtime, teeter-tottered sleepily over her crate on her own, and curled up to go to sleep. They say that this is a very big step for a dog learning to crate train, and fosterdad and I quietly danced around in celebration.

For more info on adopting Lollie, contact us at DCpetographer@gmail.com or 301-520-7123.