Featured Happy Ending: Capo

Featured Happy Ending: Capo

     Capo's life didn't start out so great: He was picked up by animal control with his mom and sister, given the number 550 and was destined for a terrible fate.  In fact his mother & sister met that sad fate.  But something was special about Capo.  He was pulled into the Vet Tech program only to be placed back on the euth list a few days later.  That bought him some vital time.  His picture was posted around the foster networks.  A lovely shelter worker named Jenn was trying her best to get him out of there. That one kind act set everything else in to motion... 

     Enter the next angel in Capo's life, Shana Markwis.  Shana is a foster for Carolina Care Bullies and noticed Capo's photograph the night she had given away her last foster to a forever family.  Out of all the dogs flooding her inbox, something about Capo stuck with her.  In his intake photo he looks sad, scared, filthy.  His notes said "animal aggressive, resource guarder, shy."  Shana, always fighting for the underdog couldn't let this guy die because of a few bad marks.  She emailed the shelter worker that night at 11pm, with just a few hours left until he was supposed to die.  

     The shelter gave him his shots, had him neutered, and on February 21, 2012, Capo was free.  But what kind of freedom would this be?  Capo wasn't the super happy-go-lucky, giddy to be out of jail dog.  No...he was broken.  When Shana went to pick him up, he was stiff, unflinching, nervous.  He couldn't let his guard down.  Shana noticed his bottom canine tooth missing a small hole in his tongue....what kind of life had this poor guy had??  But all that changed very quickly. 

      Once Capo settled in to his new home, he was a completely different dog.  A wagging tail that swings like a baseball bat, a goofy wiggle that you cannot help but laugh at no matter how many times you've seen it, a silly personality full of quirks.  Capo opened up.  He began to really LIVE.  Those notes on him became curious to Shana...he was never aggressive towards her two cats, never became possessive over toys or food.  It's interesting that dogs are labeled without thinking about the REASON for their behavior.  If you were shoved into a prison (filled with scary people, sounds and smells) with your mom & sister, wouldn't it be normal for you to become protective? And couldn't that be read as aggression?  Don't let those labels scare you off....take them into consideration, but a dog is much much more than its shelter notes.

      After a month at Shana's, Capo was really thriving....that's when we came in.  Jillian and I had been talking about adopting a pit bull for a while.  We knew their maligned history and we knew what amazing pets they can be.  So we started looking.  And of course if you're in NC looking to adopt a pit bull, you come across Carolina Care Bullies.  As we started looking over the dogs, we knew the number one thing that was important to us: a cat friendly dog.  Jillian has had her cat, Jennifur, for 10 years and nothing can come between her and that kitty.  When we clicked on Capo's profile the first line read in all caps "SUPER CAT FRIENDLY" and of course that made us read further.  Capo seemed perfect.  We emailed CCB and started a correspondence with Shana.  I cannot give her enough credit.  She is an angel on earth for these dogs.  She answered every question I had with thorough and detailed answers....we felt like we already knew Capo before we had even met him!

      The day we went to pick him up we were a bit nervous.  What if he didn't like us?  What if he cried nonstop?  What if he did go after the cat?  All that was cast away as soon as we met him.  He was so excited to meet us and jumped right in the car.  He never whined, never cried.  He just gave Jillian hell in the back seat because he wanted to smell every inch of the car!  We got him home and immediately went into a 2 Week Shutdown (recommended and explained by Shana of course!).  I cannot begin to explain how grateful we are that we did this.  I now tell EVERY new dog owner I know that it is the best thing they can do for themselves and their dog. 

     We've had Capo for about 2 months now and he's changed our lives so much.  I've become a much more patient person since Capo does not respond to a loud voice in a submissive way...he actually gets more excited! If I yell "No!!" his tail starts wagging & he thinks its play time!!  So we've learned that discipline is a quiet process, not a loud one.  We know every bite mark on his head from whatever bad thing took his tooth out.  We know every spot on his wiggly butt.  We know every bark ("Play with me!", "Who's that!!", "Back off!").  The 2 Week Shutdown was invaluable.  We didn't hear him bark for 2 weeks!  Now he definitely let's us know when he's ready to play!  He loves to fetch with tennis balls & bumpers, and when he's tired, he let's us know by lying down & have some grass as a snack.  He wants so badly to be friends with Jennifur, even though every time he tries to gently sniff her she smacks him in the face.  She runs off and he just watches her go with a look on his face that says "Well maybe tomorrow then..."  I can take every toy & every treat/bowl of food away and he patiently waits for me to give it back.  And if I put his toy up, he simply waits as if to say "OK Daddy, what next?"   

     Sometimes he likes to jump up on the recliner with me or on the couch with Jillian and just nap with us.  Other times he likes to climb all over us and lick our ears clean.  At night he likes to lick my feet until I can't stop laughing.  We call that a "pit bull pedicure."  He'll happily lie down with a rawhide or romp around outside and roll in the grass.  He's a fantastic pet with all the energy, quirks, kisses, stubbornness and affection one could expect from ANY dog.  But he's OUR dog.  And we are so lucky to have him.  

     Honestly, when we first adopted Capo, I would look at him & think "That's our PIT BULL".  Now I just think "That's our BIG GOOFY DOG".  I don't even see the breed anymore.  With Capo being as shy as he is, I'm continually amazed by the amount of patience & restraint he shows in stressful situations.  And thanks to the 2 Week Shutdown, he always looks to US before reacting himself.  We are continually learning his motivation & fears.  And he is continually teaching us how to be better people.  

      So thank you Carolina Care Bullies, thank you Shana, thank you Jenn and thank you Capo for enriching our lives in ways we never expected.