Five pit bull-mix dogs are looking for their "Fur"ever homes after making an 893 mile trip in the back of a van from Georgia to Mount Ayr with the help of W-underdogs Rescue.W-underdogs Rescue is based out of Atlanta, GA and is run by Grace Hamlin. Grace had company along with a team of youngsters. The kids wanted to help save the dogs from being euthanized.
Buddy, Sweety, Max, Girl and Oden all have unique stories, but what they have in common is being victims of abuse and taken in by the same rescue, W-underdogs.
The owners of Mount Ayr's Animal Alliance Rescue, Tracy Hill and Dixie Strange, were asked by W-underdogs Rescue for help after they had heard good things about Animal Alliance. They needed help saving the pits from hoarding cases and Tracy and Dixie didn't hesitate to say yes.
Animal Alliance takes in all strays, owner releases and fully vets them. Meaning they have them vaccinated, spay/neutered, heartworm tested, dewormed, microchipped and given flea and tick prevention measures.
Buddy is a two year old pit bull that was rescued from a hoarding case in Georgia. Buddy was always kept in a crate and was not socialized. Since being rescued, he has been great with kids and is very energetic.
Sweety, also two years old, was also part of the hoarding case along with Max, who is a 1 1/2 year old who has not been house broken.
Oden was also part of the hoarding case. Oden is much more calmer than the others from the hoarding case.
Girl was found on the side of the road and was so abused that she couldn't walk. After some care, [Page 9] she began to crawl everywhere. She was scared of people and when she was brought to Animal Alliance she was already in the arms of Tracy and Dixie, licking their faces and having fun being with them.
The five dogs were taken in with scars from flea infestation, wound and loss of muscle ton from living lives in cages and unable to run and exercise.
Tracy and Dixie spent two weeks arranging for the transport of the dogs.
"Our saying is, Adopt, Don't Shop," said Tracy Hill. "A lot of pet stores buy pups from puppy mills. Iowa is in the top five for most "puppy mills."
Animal Alliance has brought in Brett Minor of Mischievous K-9, an obedience school. He will teach them basic obedience which includes walking on a leash, no pulling, sit, down and stay, allowing their feet, ears and bodies to be touched and to tolerate combing and brushing.
"People need to be aware of the myths surrounding pit bulls," said Hill.
Many people are afraid of pit bulls, thinking they are only killers used in dog fighting.
According to tests conducted by the American Temperment Test Society, pit bulls had a passing rate of 82 percent or better compared to only 77 percent of the general dog population with tests putting a dog through a series of unexpected situations, some involving strangers.
Another myth, is the breed will lock their jaws and not let go. While the breed has very strong jaws, there is no evidence for the existence of any kind of locking mechanism unique to the structure of the jaw or teeth.
Under the best of circumstances, it is great to know the history of a dog when rescuing or adopting any dog, or animal.
Animal Alliance has taken an in-depth history of the pit bulls to the best of their and W-underdogs' abilities and will ensure the best possible placement of each dog.
The city of Mount Ayr does have a city ordinance (Chapter 57) prohibiting "dangerous animals" including Bull Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier and dogs of mixed breed or of other breeds than above listed which breed or mixed breed is known as pit bulls, pit bull dogs or pit bull terriers or any dog which has the appearance and characteristics of being predominately of the breed.
Animal Alliance will only be adopting these dogs to people in cities without ordinances on pit bulls, or to people outside city limits. For any questions about the animals, Animal Alliance Rescue can be reached at (515)-520-7748.
If you would like to help W-underdogs with any of the animals from the hoarding cases that were not brought to Mount Ayr, they can be reached at w-underdogs.org.
Photograph courtesy of Mount Ayr Record-News
Transcription by Sharon R. Becker, July of 2017
Five pit bull-mix dogs are looking for their "Fur"ever homes after making an 893 mile trip in the back of a van from Georgia to Mount Ayr with the help of W-underdogs Rescue.