Reggie, Houston, TX

Hi everyone, I am Reggie and this is my story.

I was found wandering, abandoned and starving, in Northeast Kansas. I was taken to a low-kill shelter, but I was really scared and screeched a lot. You see, I am deaf, so I can’t hear myself or the noises I make. My squealing made the people there uncomfortable; they didn’t know that I was just scared and needing love. They decided that I was going to be euthanized because I was upsetting all of the other dogs. Just a few days before I was scheduled to be put down, a 16-year old volunteer from Game Dog Guardian, a local pit bull rescue organization, convinced her mom to foster me. I left the shelter and went home with them.

It was nice to be out of the shelter, but I was still looking for my forever home. Game Dog Guardian posted a picture of me on their website and one day, mom was surfing around and came across my photo. She read my profile: “Reggie is a deaf pit bull…” and got excited; my human granddad’s name is Reggie and he is also deaf. But mom and dad hadn’t committed to bringing another dog home just yet. They had two dogs already and I was really far away. One day, about a week later, mom said to dad, “OK, let’s do it. Let’s apply and see what they say.” My dad replied, “I did it a week ago!”

My adoption was approved, but there was a little snag — my new mom and dad lived over 600 miles from where my foster family lived. Mom convinced her parents to drive 6 hours round trip from their home to pick me up and then another 5 hours south to meet mom and dad in Texas. At first, I was very nervous — it had been a rough few months of changes, but as soon as I saw my new dad, I knew I had finally found my family. I loved mom and dad instantly! (There also may have been a hamburger or two involved! :-))

Mom and dad had read a lot of articles about deaf dogs and the extra attention and they need. I fit in really well at home with my two new sisters, Molly the boxer and Abbie the pit bull, but I was not very well behaved in public. I would pull on the leash, squeal at people and dogs that walked by, and was generally difficult out in public. I really wanted people to pay attention to me and love me, but I didn’t know how to ask for it.

I started the Behave a Bull obedience class — a class specifically for pit bulls — and I started doing really well. It was good to socialize and realize that mom and dad would make sure nobody ever hurt me again. We all needed to learn how to communicate with each other so that I could show everyone how amazing I was.

I passed this class and am working on my Canine Good Citizen class. I know a bunch of hand signals and love working with dad in our classes. Since I came home, mom and dad let me keep a little foster brother, a pit bull named Crumbs; he had a rough start and I really wanted him to have a family like I did. Mom and dad also foster other pit bulls so that they can have a chance at an amazing life like mine!

We spend our days zooming in the back yard, playing tug, and napping under mom’s feet while she works — and we all get along, because none of us is a monster.

Life is good for a pittie! 🙂

Parents: LaChrystal & Michael