T-Bone, Albuquerque, NM
Hi! My name is T-Bone!
My first home was very bad. My “dad” would hit me and kick me if I didn’t do what he said. I wasn’t allowed inside the house. I was only 3 months old when the lady of the house brought me to animal control so that the man of the house didn’t hurt me anymore. š
I went to 2 other foster homes before ending up at in Idaho where I was fostered by Rocky Mountain Great Dane Rescue. That’s where my parents found me, on the rescue’s website. I was listed as Great Dane Pit mix, whatever that means.
My Mom and Dad told me they picked me because I had one of the saddest faces. Huh? š
Luckily my first “dad” didn’t get to break my spirit. I love my new parents and pretty much everyone I meet.Ā They brought me home to New Mexico in March of 2009 when I was 5 months old.
I could tell my parents never had a dog before. I was a crazy puppy. I was very excited to be able to live in the house with my new parents. My mom and dad worked very hard at training me. I didn’t always listen and I could tell that they would get frustrated and didn’t know what to do with me. However they never hit me.
I love my new parents. My mom worked even harder since I was part pit bull? Not sure what that has to do with anything; I am just a dog!
When I was 1 1/2, mom brought me to some classes to get me certified to be a therapy dog. Imagine me a therapy dog. My dad said I would never pass.
My mom took me to the testing and it was very rigorous. We had to go for 2 weekends in a row on a Saturday and Sunday. Well we proved daddy wrong: we passed with flying colors! š
We still had a lot of training to do. My mom would take me to a special class every Wednesday with a bunch of other dogs and we would work on everything from sits to stays and also our special tricks. My trick is pretty cool.
Fast forward: My mom takes me to hospitals, nursing homes and the Albuquerque 911 call center. Our favorite place to go is the call center. The people there sure do seem to like it when we go visiting there. All the ladies fuss over me and give me treats. What a fun job!
I even do my favorite trick for them. Here, watch the video! They all think it’s so amazing that I know the word! š
My mom continues to train me and my new sister. We are currently attending training at our local Animal Humane New Mexico with the “505 Pit Crew.” It’s a youth-oriented program aimed at addressing illegal dog-fighting, most often pit bulls, for illegal gambling or gang-related purposes.
The people at the program are calling us ambassadors for our breed. Not sure what all the fuss is about cause I am just a dog. We are learning some really cool things.
I love my mom. She works so hard to advocate for our breed.
In the end I am just a dog. When we are not training or visiting the call center, I get to go to my mom and dad’s office and hang out with the staff and meet all kinds of new people. My dad does something with bones. He told me he’s called a Chiropractor. My mom helps people too. She works in a room in the office and makes people exercise.
I am happy that my parents found me and love me so much. We run in the foothills every morning. It feels so good to run free. When we are done with our run, we get to go to the park for more running.
My favorite thing to do there is yup you guessed it fetch the ball. Oh yeah, I also love cuddling with my sister Madeline.
So that’s my story and thanks for reading!
~ T-Bone
p.s. I am definitely not a monster!
Parent: Karen