Here’s the story on how I brought Dominoe into the family:
I had basically persuaded my father that I was ready for the responsibility and to let me get a pup because I needed a companion while living in his house in the Poconos by myself. I knew I wanted to adopt a Pit Bull but Dad is a no-nonsense kinda guy and he wouldn’t even consider the idea of having one of those dogs in his home. Which was exactly when I knew I was getting one! ;o)
I lied to Dad and told him I was going to the local shelter to get a Boxer puppy…I had found Dominoe online at 8 weeks of age listed as a ‘Boxer Mix’ which is code for ‘Vicious People Eating Pit-Bull’. I filled out the paperwork and took him home from the cold and damp shelter only to realize later the next night that he was terribly sick and I was severely under qualified to adopt a Pit Bull. He wouldn’t sleep through the night and he just kept heaving, I switched rooms 3 times thinking maybe he was just allergic to the carpet!
We made a visit to the Vet and found out that my Bully Breed had a bad bacterial infection. He was so young at 8 weeks and I was a new parent and I was worried sick myself. It’s a heavy dose of reality to see someone you love feel so bad and be so inept to do anything about it. All I could do was feed him his medication regularly and after a few days it began to clear up. He eventually got better and slept through the night which was great for my sleep too.
Dad would visit often making the long car-ride from NJ to the Poconos and he would love to spend time and play with his little Bully Breed buddy Dominoe the ‘Boxer Mix’. He fell for Dominoe’s charming personality instantly(you see that face, who couldn’t??) and a couple months went by before Dad ever had a clue.
I was finally busted when a friend of Dads came over one day when I wasn’t home to refute his comment that the ‘Boxer Mix’ was not a Boxer at all. He told Dad exactly what Dominoe was and after a couple months of secrecy the story finally broke. He was a Bully Breed alright. I remember Dad asking me if he was a Pit-Bull and I still denied it saying, “cmon Dad I would never adopt a Pit Bull.” but left some wiggle room for the eventual confession. Never once did Dad have any problem with Dominoe’s breed nor did he see any type of aggression. He was just a happy-go-lucky pup with the world in front of him, no shelter and no infection, he was ready to kick the tires and light the fires!
Of course by the time his friend broke the news that his beloved Boxer was actually an adopted American Pit-Bull Terrier it was too late because Dominoe and Dad were the greatest of pals. Dad had no choice but to laugh it off and years later to this day it still makes for a great tail! Dominoe was as sweet(and fresh) as a pup could get and he wasn’t going anywhere.
The best part about all of this is that Dad’s unknowing nature of Dominoe’s real Bully Breed served to create a pure bond unsaturated by misnomers and fear, and a love for a dog who’s otherwise bad name would’ve never allowed me to adopt a Pit Bull and let him ever strut through that door. Now it’s not even like my Dad’s unease with Pit Bulls was just quelled by a great dog, but he is now one of the first people to speak up in defense of the Bully Breed any time someone begins to label them with that unfair stereotype!
It just goes to show that a little love can go a long way…The whole time Dad thought Dominoe was a Boxer was just Dominoe’s shot to prove the stereotype wrong and he did it with flying colors. I love that dog and it is a lesson I will never forget. I will adopt a Pit Bull again and again.