Against All Odds

I have written about him several times previously in more structured articles, but with rules on length and choice of words. This is the first time I’m publicly able to tell his whole story as I know it to be. He remains my biggest inspiration to the message I try to relay.

What a shame…What a shame it would have been had they succeeded in killing him.

Although much of the details of his past remain unsolved, or at least untold, what we do know is Preston was saved from a house during a drug bust in the Akron, Ohio area, where they used him for fighting, baring fresh open wounds attributed to the crime upon entry into the shelter sometime mid-year in 2006. Not many dogs survive the type of background Preston came from. Once rescued, most dogs confiscated with dogfighting connections are liberated permanantly from existence. The very association of the blood “sport” deems them gulilty as an accessory to the vicious subculture. But, shelter workers quickly fell in love with the little black dog they named Eeyore, buying him time for a second chance at life as the court case trial against his previous owner concluded. Each day that passed, the prospect of survival grew less likely, and the other two dogs he came in with subsequently were euthanized due to the most restrictive state laws in the country regarding ownership of Pit Bull dogs.

In the final hours of his pending final day, a Cleveland Pit Bull rescue stepped up and pulled Preston, providing him the opportunity he needed to prove his worthiness. Over the next two years, Preston learned what it’s like to live in a house as a family pet, setting him up for success once he reached his forever home. He completed  basic obedience training and even earned his AKC’s Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification, but nobody came inquiring about him during adoption events, as certain variables seemed evident for the reasons, including the percieved challenges of his early life experiences…until the day I met him. I instantly fell in love and knew he belonged to me, like parents of a newborn child. I have always had a special place in my heart for the ones who physically looked abused, and was especially attracted to Preston’s zest for life, even all that has gone wrong in his short time on Earth, putting in perspective just how valuable life really is.

These days, Preston is spoiled rotten, trying to make up for lost time we will never get back. His daily dinner includes rice, chicken and baby carrots, along with a Fresh Factors vitamin. I sometime look at his dinner and mine, and realize he is actually eating better than me. He gets daily walks in the park, plenty of playtime in the house, and car rides everywhere. Through the last few years together, I’ve seen the impact he has in my life and others who encounter him. His scars are all that remain of his former life, but they serve as daily reminders of how important it is to judge dogs on an individual basis, and not by looks or breed. And like underdogs that came before him, against all odds, Preston is the precious rose that grew from concrete.