Daisy Davis, Fort Bragg, CA

It all started when a friend of the lady who would one day become my Mom saw me walking down the street with a man. The friend called my Mom in a panic about the way I looked — I was scared and hungry. I walked as far away as I could from the man holding my leash. This worried my Mom’s friend. She was right to be worried. See, my old owner didn’t take care of me. I didn’t get yummy food like I do now. I think I didn’t look good because I was always hungry.

The man took me away before my Mom and her friend could find me. We didn’t have a home like I do now. Sometimes we would sleep outside in the cold, or stay at weird, scary places. Scary things happened to me, too. Strange dogs kept jumping on me, which scared me and hurt me. The man wanted these dogs to do this, though — sometimes he held me down to make it easier for them. I think all the jumping on me was why my tummy got big. It wasn’t because the man was feeding me too much! One night, my tummy started hurting, and soon, I had so many babies! Some of the babies didn’t make sounds. The man took them away and I never saw them again.

Being a mother dog is really hard work, especially when you don’t get enough to eat. The babies always wanted to be on my tummy and their little claws left marks and let me tell you, they were always hungry! It was my job to feed them and I did a really good job, even though I was sick. My ear was really hot, my eyes were always running and I had really bad sores on my tummy and I was still hungry — I was hungry all of the time. The man didn’t care. He said we had to go back to the old town to meet one of his friends so they could make money off of my puppies. This made me sad, but I just tried to focus on my job. It was really hard to walk all of the time but the man made me walk, even when I had these big hanging things that held all of the milk for the puppies. (I am so glad I don’t have those now, because I love to run and jump after my ball!)

We went back to where my Mom’s friend had first seen me, but we stayed in a campground with some strange people. The man kept taking my puppies away. I didn’t think they were ready to leave me, but he didn’t care. Later, I found out that he sold them. Finally, there were just a few puppies left. I walked into town with the man, who was holding the puppies in a duffel bag. It was a long walk for me. It was difficult, but I made it. As soon as we got to where all of the stores are, he started asking strangers if they would give him money for a puppy. As he walked into one store, a lady came over and said she was the animal police. The man got very angry and picked me up. It really hurt when he grabbed me, and the milk for the puppies spilled all over the sidewalk. He screamed and yelled, but when the cars with lights showed up, the man went away.

This is that part I never knew until my Mom told me. My Mom and her friends had been so worried about me that they had worked with the animal police to get me away from the man ever since they first saw me. That day was the last day I ever had to be with that man. It was the best day of my life so far.

I went into a foster home and my Mom made a promise to help me in the foster home. She kept her promise and walked me every single day. I loved spending time with her. She made me feel safe and happy, something I had never felt before. She even took me to the doggie doctor! I had never been to a doctor before. They said I had an infection in my ear and eyes and the sores on my tummy needed medicine too. Each day, my Mom picked me up for our walks, told me how much she loved me and promised me that no one would ever hurt me and I would never have to have babies again.

My Mom wanted to bring me to her house, but she already had dogs, so my Dad said no. One day my Mom told me that I had to listen to her and be really good. She had a plan to make me stay with her forever. She asked my Dad if I could stay for just one night. I was as good as I could be and my Dad could not say no! I was home, one night turned into forever!!! Not a foster home, but my very own home!!! 🙂 I had food, water, toys, yard and everything. It was heavenly, like a dream come true.

One day, the man came back to town and he saw my picture in the paper for winning 1st place in a costume contest. After that, he started really scaring my Mom — he would sit out in front of her work and yell things. One day he tried to hurt her and he had to go to jail. My Mom had to put on nice clothes and talk to a lawyer and she had to go this place called a “court,” where the judge made rules for him. She had never been to court before. I remember her coming home and locking the doors and being scared, but I didn’t know that he was trying to get me. My Mom made me a promise and that promise is: Over her dead body would he ever lay a hand on me or ever come near me again. She would sell her house, her car, (she loves her car) and everything she owns, but he would never hurt me again — and he never has. The court gave my Mom papers that say he can’t come close to my Mom or me or he will go to jail.

When people asked my Mom why she was spending so much money to save a Pit Bull, my Mom got so mad!  See, that is the kind of dog I am: a Pit Bull. To my Mom, that is the best kind of dog to be, that’s what she tells me and everyone else! But lots of people do not like Pit Bulls. I don’t know why, but that’s the way it is. Because my Mom loves me so much, she wants to help other Pit Bulls and help people to understand that Pit Bulls are good dogs who deserve to be loved.

I don’t ever want to see any dogs go through what I went through, so I love helping other Pit Bulls too. We always have a foster dog at our house and I know what it is like to be called a foster dog. It is good, because it means that you are safe, but it is better to called My Dog. My Mom always says to people, “This is MY Dog, Daisy Davis.” I love that!

Oh yeah, after Mom rescued me she gave me a special second name. She says I am just as special as all those dogs with big long names. I like having a second name. She also says that she loves me more than anything in the world, and I know she does. I get to go everywhere with her and I go to work with her every day!

I now live with other dogs and have brothers and sisters that have all been rescued too. My brother Shiloh and I are very close and we love each other very much. My Mom and I walk together all the time, and on our walks, my Mom tells me lots of stuff. I like to listen to her and be right at her side the whole way. She stuck by me and never gave up. I love my Mom and we are a team. We stick together, even when times are tough, and that is what having your own family is all about.

My Mom shared my story with me that day on our walk, which I have just shared with you. She also shared her dream with me and I will share that with you, too. Her dream is to one day live in a world where all dogs are loved and accepted and it is her life’s mission to help put an end to this thing called “breed discrimination.” That means that people can’t say that some dogs are bad because they look a certain way. I think that is a good dream.

Please stop by Daisy Davis Pit Bull Rescue and say hi!

Parent: Monica Mankinen