FESTER – A Dog is Not a Possession

April 16, 2014

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Everyone meet Fester. He’s a 2 year old bull terrier who was pulled from a high kill shelter by Priceless Pets. Fester is also deaf. It’s safe to say that someone paid a lot of money for Fester and like most dogs that cost a lot of money, you get a lot of over breeding. With over breeding you get problems like being deaf. From the scars that were already on his face, he was obviously very neglected and not taken care of. His owners probably thought they got a “bad dog” that “didn’t listen” and dumped him at the shelter where he faced almost certain death. Before I continue with Fester I want to voice a couple of things. That “pure bred” dog you want so badly? I can almost assure you there’s at least one of them at a high kill shelter that is set to be put down. And like most people in this world, we only like things by how they “look”. So we do whatever we can and pay whatever we can to acquire this possession only to find out that we don’t want it anymore once we have it. Now that’s fine if we are talking about a computer, a stereo system, a handbag, a pair of shoes or even a car, a dog, however, does NOT fall into that category. Thousands of dogs are euthanized every day because of people’s desire to acquire “things” and unfortunately dogs fall into the category. A dog is not a possession. A dog is a living breathing being and their lives should not have to be compromised because of a human being’s hasty and irresponsible desire to fill a temporary void. Which brings me back to Fester, he’s definitely a special needs dog. As I mentioned earlier, he is deaf. The fact he’s still alive is a miracle in itself. Bull terrier puppies that are born deaf are normally euthanized as puppies. And yet, here is Fester, still alive 2 years later but still without a home. Yes, I will go ahead and say he needs to be an only dog (for now), preferably with no young children (for now) and I would say he needs to be with an experienced owner who is willing to take the time to train him. Fester deserves that, he did not ask to be deaf, he did not ask to be overbred. “WE” did this. Humans did this. And now humans need to fix this. Unfortunately, we live in what I like to call the, “diet pill”, world. Everyone wants to fix everything but few people want to put in the work. We want to magically take a pill and wake up with no problems. And these days, euthanizing animals is a way to “fix” problem dogs. We shouldn’t be allowed to get away that easily. There’s no honor in it and it is irresponsible. My hopes in writing this is that maybe it reaches someone that knows and wants to work with a dog like Fester. He’s a lover and he’s not a “bad dog”. He just needs to someone who has the heart, time and patience to show him how to act. He needs a leader. Maybe if you’re reading this, it’s you. Or maybe you know someone. I realize saving one dog will not fix the problem but maybe saving this one dog will open up other doors. Maybe Fester finds the perfect owner and he becomes an ambassador for bull terriers or deaf dogs. Maybe HE becomes the poster dog in the fight against over breeding and irresponsible pet ownership… or maybe he doesn’t. But I would rather take a chance on all these “maybe’s” than have this pup face a certain death. Please, if you’re reading this and can help, contact Priceless Pets or myself. Just like Tiffany from the New York Bully Crew said, “Teamwork saves lives”, so let’s save this dog. In this day of social media, all it takes is a simple “share” on your page. Trust me, I know. That’s how I ended up with Elvis and instead of being euthanized, a “pit bull” will be going to his 2^nd high school this year to help Priceless Pets promote pet adoption.