Marvin, Bradley, CA

Hi everyone! My name is Marvin. I am a six-year-old Red Nose Pit Bull. While I might look “big and scary,” I am truly one of the nicest dogs you will ever meet.

As a matter of fact, my daddy calls me an ambassador of the Pit Bull breed (I am not sure what that means, but he smiles and pets my head every time he says it so it must be good). As you can tell from my pictures, I am a very happy dog…But life wasn’t always so happy for me.

I try not to think too much about where I came from. As far as I am concerned, that was a whole other life. I know my life really started when I was a puppy, but to me, my life started one day in April of 2010 when I decided to leave my previous home and go on a “walk about.” I walked around the neighborhood trying to meet new people. For some reason, most people saw me and turned the other way. Some kids even ran from me and started crying. I don’t know why people were scared of me. All I wanted to do was play and give them kisses.

Eventually, I found my way to a car dealership. A really nice man who worked at the dealership walked up to me and started scratching my belly. It felt really good and he made me feel happy, especially since everyone else was so afraid of me. He brought me into his office and gave me some treats. I stayed with him for a few hours until a woman in a uniform came into the office. She was really nice too and talked very sweetly to me. I learned afterward that this woman was an Animal Control Officer and her job is to help lost animals (like me) find their way back home.

While she was talking to me, she put a rope on my neck — which I later learned was a leash. It felt funny and the Animal Control Officer later told my mommy that she didn’t think I had ever had a leash on before. I pulled away from the woman and whined. I didn’t think she would hurt me, but I was scared. She had to have the nice man from the dealership lift me up (which wasn’t easy, because I was over 80 pounds) and put me into a small cage in the back of her truck. I didn’t like the cage and cried and cried and cried. A few moments later, after the nice man said his goodbyes, the cage door was shut and I felt the truck start to move. I was really scared, but little did I know, I was about to embark on the best adventure of my life!

Soon I felt the truck stop and the Animal Control Officer opened the cage door. She had some people come out and help her get me out of the truck. These people were all very nice. The put me into a large cage and gave me food, water and toys! I soon learned from listening to all the people that I was at the SPCA for Monterey County, which is a wonderful place that takes in all types of animals in need.

I really had fun at the SPCA. Lots of really nice volunteers and employees took me on walks (to try and help me with my non-existent leash manners) and let me run around with other dogs in the play yard. People at the SPCA kept telling me that my family would come to find me because I was such a good boy, but for some reason, my old family never came looking for me. While I enjoyed playing at the SPCA — it was like a mini-vacation, I really wanted to go home. It still makes me sad to think that my old family could just leave me like that.

For a while I thought that maybe I was a bad dog and I tried to think of what I did wrong for them not to want me anymore. Everyone always told me I was a good boy, but I didn’t feel that way.

A shelter RVT named me Marvin. She said I just looked like a big goofy boy and that big goofy boys need big goofy names. It sounded really good to me and I liked it so much that I forgot whatever my name was before I came to the SPCA. Every time a family would walk by my kennel, I would wag my tail and give them my biggest bully smile, but they would just smile at me and walk away. I tried every trick in the book to get someone to play with me, but nothing ever worked. I was beginning to get depressed and the people at the shelter were starting to get worried about me.

One morning in June, I was lying in my kennel when I saw a new person walk by. I had never seen this woman before, but I knew she worked for the SPCA because of her clothing. She walked up to my kennel and scratched my head. She asked me why I was still here and told me that I was too cute to be at the shelter. She gave me a treat and walked away. It made me so happy because out of all the dogs that were around, this woman only came up to me to say hello!

I soon learned that this woman had just started working at the SPCA as a Humane Investigator. Soon, she would come and see me in my kennel a few times a week. I began to look forward to her visits. Sometimes, she would take me out of my kennel and play with me in the play yard… other times, she would take me up to her office and let me lay next to her feet while she typed on the computer. I was always hoping that one of these days, she would put me into her car and drive away with me, but she always put me back into my kennel.

One day in August, the woman came to my kennel. She wasn’t wearing her SPCA uniform and she had a man with her. They both pet my head and gave me kisses and treats. I really loved the woman and the man seemed very nice. They spent about an hour with me, gave me kisses and then put me back into my kennel. I was confused! I really wanted them to take me with them (wherever they went at night), but I always ended up back in my kennel.

The next day, as the employees were saying their goodbyes to the doggies before they closed the shelter for the evening, I saw the woman carrying a leash. She had a big smile on her face and told me, “You ready to get out of here?” She put the leash around my neck and got me out of my kennel. I was so excited!! I pulled her out of the shelter and loaded up into the back of her car immediately! I couldn’t believe this was finally happening! She was taking me with her and I hoped the nice man was going to be wherever we were going.

As the woman drove, she told me that she couldn’t stand to see me in the shelter anymore. She said she had fallen in love with me and that I was going to be living with her from now on. She said that I could call her mommy and that we were going to go to my new house and meet my new daddy.

After a ride in the car, the woman pulled up to a big house. She gave me a kiss and opened the car door. She walked me (or rather I walked her) into the backyard. There I saw the man! I realized that this meant that the man was my new daddy! And he was with two other dogs! I ran up to my daddy and he hugged me.

I loved my new mommy and daddy. My daddy also introduced me to my new sisters, Cricket and Zoe. The three of us ran around the yard and played for what seemed like forever. Soon we all went into the house and I was shown my new bed. I was so happy to finally have my own bed! That night, I slept better then I had ever slept before. It felt so good to have a forever home and to finally be wanted again.

My mommy and daddy tell me all the time that I am the best dog in the world. They try to take me all over the place to show that Pit Bulls really are good dogs and have a very bad reputation. I get to go with Mommy to work, which is awesome because I get to see all the wonderful people at the SPCA for Monterey County that took care of me while I waited for my mommy and daddy to find me. I have learned so many things since I went to live at my new house. I learned that cats are not toys, that books are not food and that there is good in every person (and dog). I even learned how to work the computer and even have my own Facebook page!

I love to hang out with my Pit Bull friend, Ginger Girl (who lived a horrible life at Bad Newz Kennels with Michael Vick before her mommy adopted her) and meet all the super cool dogs that are waiting for their families to find them at the SPCA. I am so happy to have such a wonderful family and great friends! And I am always looking to make new friends, so check out my Facebook page and share the bully love!

Love,
Marvin the Pit Bull

Parent: Stacy