Things are looking up for me!  All my health issue are finally resolved!  That was a tough spell for me - recovering from my heartworm treatment and then I needed 2 surgeries on my eyelids.  My eyelashes were growing in towards my eyes.  It was so uncomfortable.  I had to squint my eyes in the bright sunlight.  They watered and were goopy all the time.  And then there was the issue with my impacted canine tooth which had to be extracted.

Sheeww.. I am glad all of that is over and boy, do I ever feel so healthy now! 

I have also been working really hard at being a good boy and minding my manners.  I never even knew what manners were before!  My trainer, Melissa L, has taught me so much and I am so eager to learn.  People comment on how smart I am all the time!  I know how to sit nicely and am even being crate trained!

 So, Melissa says I am finally ready for a foster home or my forever home.  I so desperately want to  be with my person - to have them hold me, scratch my belly and to tell me that they will love me forever. 

Even though I have my own cabin here and large area to romp and play, I think it is the pits that I don't have my person.

I lonely and I am so ready to be loved. 

Please pass this info on to anyone else who might be interested.

Hoping for a miracle, Monkey waits in his cage in the St. Bernard Parish shelter

The Little Dog that Could
by Amber Chenoweth

We can do no great things, only small things with great love.  ~Mother Teresa
 

We did see some rebuilding, but not nearly what we had expected.  We did also see life returning to at least part of the 90,000 square miles that had been devastated by the hurricanes.  And we also saw more sadness than we had expected to see this time. 

The amount of animals still wondering the streets 2 years after the fact was so surprising.  Had everyone forgotten New Orleans already?  The shelters are overwhelmed with animals from people that had to move on and could not take their animals and from the animals breeding in the streets. 

Despite the tremendous hurdles that the city still faces today, and through its triumphs and tragedies there is still almost magical spirit that hangs in the air.  It’s a feeling you get that sometimes, and for some unknown reason, an occasional miracle will happen.  Some of the rescuers fondly refer to this as the NOLA Mojo.  (NOLA -New Orleans, Louisiana)    

After being assessed by several different experienced dog handlers we knew that we were not dealing an aggressive dog by any means.

"My kids are around pit bulls every day. In the '70s they blamed Dobermans, in the '80s they blamed German shepherds, in the '90s they blamed the Rottweiler. Now they blame the pit bull." - Cesar Millan

 Monkey arrives in Seattle and melts in Pasado Rescuer Yvonne's arms

We all knew that we had found the little dog that could… 

We all saw that this dog could be good dog for someone and bring them a lifetime of happiness. 

He could get well and learn to run and play again. 

He could be the first Pit Bull to be flown out of the St. Bernard Parish since the hurricane and bring some hope to an overwhelmed shelter. 

He could a have a better life and live for the ones that we could not save. 

He could love and be loved. 

He could be all of these things if given the chance to.

So we made sure he got that chance.  Because we could.

"It's your unlimited power to care and to love that can make the biggest difference in the quality of your life." - Anthony Robbins 
 

There were many times we thought that we would not be able to save this one.  Several weeks after we returned and after many, many phone calls, email and extensive planning, the little dog that could set foot on our beautiful Northwest soil, ready to start his new adventure and search for his forever home!  Earning the new name Monkey, we found that he is very quirky, extremely clever and just loves to be loved.  He has a white patch on his chest which maps out his favorite spot to be pet & scratched.  He closes his eyes tightly in ecstasy.  

This little dog that was all alone on the streets for months has still managed to keep a heart full of love and soul.  Everyone that meets him sees this in his eyes. 

Monkey is available for adoption.  He is currently going through heartworm treatment which is not contagious but he must be kept calm and have minimal exercise while under treatment.  He has also learned the sign language sign for sit.  He loves to learn new things and is eager to know what his rules and boundaries are. 

This is the story of one dog that had the odds stacked against him in New Orleans.  But this one little dog has already touched so many lives.  There are so many animals in so many places that need help.  To see it as the big picture is overwhelming and can definitely be deflating.  That's when you have to break these things down into smaller pieces...This one was just one sad story that we COULD and did turn into a happy one.  It would have been so much easier on our emotions and time to walk away from his cage and try to forget him.  But a combination of love, teamwork and a little NOLA mojo has given Monkey a second chance at a happy life and hopefully added a little hope back into New Orleans and the world as well. 

To DONATE so we can continue to help more animals like Monkey, please click here.