There are many prejudices in this world, and many of them are related to animals, especially dogs. One of the most widespread and accepted stereotypes is that Pit Bulls are an unadoptable breed.
Such thinking has contributed to the fact that many people do not even want to consider the option of adopting a Pittie, so these poor fellows often are left to fend for themselves.
Fortunately, not everyone is the same, and proof of that is a woman named Caitlyn, who decided to give one Pittie a home without much thought.
She changed her life forever…
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When a Pit Bull named Liv was found as a stray, she was severely underweight, her stomach was sagging from overbreeding, and her ears bent backward- possibly from a botched cropping attempt.
However, Caitlyn, from Charlotte, North Carolina, immediately fell in love with her when she saw her sad eyes, which were the best reflection of everything she had been through.
Although she already had a Pit Bull at her home in Charlotte, Caitlyn couldn’t resist this beautiful Pittie. She soon decided that she would become her foster mom.
“We are excited to announce we have started our next adventure, but this one isn’t a road trip! We are fostering Liv! ❤️” she wrote in her Instagram post. “This sweet little girl is still taking some time to adjust. She is very skittish & nervous, but loves to sit in my lap and will literally hold my hand all day long!”
Given her past, it’s no wonder her adaptation has been so difficult. But, after a while, everything started to fall into place.
“Baby Liv may be little, but she has a HUGE heart. I have watched her transform in less than a week with us from a terrified girl who would barely wag her tail to stealing Tot’s toys, pushing him out of the doorway to go first and chasing us through the house.” Caitlyn wrote in another Instagram post.
You’re probably wondering who Tot is. Well, that is perhaps the most beautiful part of this story.
“She would not go for walks until I started bringing Tater Tot on the walks with us,” Caitlyn told GeoBeats Animals.
You probably remember that we wrote at the beginning that Caitlyn already has one dog at home, and he is also a Pit Bull. Well, that’s Tater Tot.
It was love at first sight, and soon, Liv and Tot couldn’t be separated from each other. They understood each other very well, not just because of the same breed, but also because they experienced similar hardships in their lives. Tater Tot was also a rescue dog.
However, what was most impressive in the whole story was the fact that Tater Tot is a selective dog, meaning that he is not so friendly to most other dogs, especially new ones.
“I was terrified to do their meet & great. One night, she accidentally knocked down her gate. It fell on my foot & I could barely walk 🤣 it hurt so bad and bruised literally my entire foot,” Caitlyn wrote in her Instagram post. “She darted out to meet Tot, they started playing while I prayed it didn’t turn into a fight and the rest is history.”
Although Liv was already part of the family in some way, she was still officially in a foster home. The love between her and Tot was the breaking point for Caitlyn’s decision to change this Pittie’s life forever.
From that day on, Liv was no longer Liv, but Sweet Pea, as her new mom called her. But, what is more important is that she became a full-fledged member of the family.
This black Pit Bull was finally where she belonged.
Since coming to her new home, Sweet Pea has had as many as five surgeries. One of her most visible wounds was the one on her face that she carried for a long time.
After that wound was successfully healed with the last operation, all the scars of her past life disappeared, and a new, much happier life could begin in its full swing.
Despite her traumatic past, Sweet Pea blossomed into a loving and affectionate dog. She enjoys keeping her paws on her mom’s hand, receiving head pats, and comforting her loved ones when they are upset. Her family is everything to her.
“Even to this day, she doesn’t go for a walks unless the three of us are together,” Caitlyn said for GeoBeats Animals. “It doesn’t matter if the TV is on, it doesn’t matter what’s going on as long as I am with her or Tater Tot is with her.”
This loving trio often visited Caitlyn’s mom at work, where there was a vast field for the dogs to play in. Sweet Pea would play with her brother for a bit before standing protectively next to her mom or granny. Even off leash, she would never stray far from her family.
Regardless of everything she went through, this Pittie found the last atom of strength to survive and rise above all problems. The fuel that drove her was her family, without which, her life would certainly have no meaning.
But, the most important thing is that this black Pit Bull showed the whole world that love is stronger than any prejudice or stereotype, and that it always wins in the end.
You just need to find the right people.
