My late husband and I worked in rescue thru East TN Boston Terrier Rescue (Joe Raibley) back in 2003. At that time, ETBTR was just getting started, and Elwyn and I had the west side of the state while Joe worked the east side. However, Elwyn passed away in 2007 I had to find homes for the Bostons we had, so I could I care for Elwyn under hospice care.

Elwyn and I had gone to his brother's house, and Annabel was tied to a chain, completely wrapped around, no food, no water. Elwyn went in and told his brother that either he gave us Annabel or we were having the animal control officer involved. So that was my first Boston. But the time Elwyn's health started to fail in late 2006, we had about a dozen, along with other breeds as well (including a real honest to goodness arctic wolf...  But here is Annabel, and while we found homes for the other Bostons, Elwyn's great-niece wanted her, so we gave her to them.  I was taking care of Elwyn day and night by then. I kept in touch with Jessica and Annabel lived until a year ago when she passed away due to old age. So here is Annabel.   

I remarried in 2011, and at that time, Ken had only one dog... a mutt named Skaliwag. However, I started hanging out on Craigslist, trying to explain to people what that "free to good home" would probably be... either a bait dog in pit bull fighting or else sold for animal research. I can usually talk the owner into surrendering the dog to the appropriate rescue group, but once it backfired.

 An owner told me that the dog was a boxer/terrier mix, and for some reason, she was determined that I would have her or she would have her put to sleep. Finally, I gave in and gave her my vet references. When she brought the dog over, I knew I was looking at a 100% pit bull because I know my pits... almost was killed with one of my own back in 1998 that I raised from a puppy.

But I didn't say a thing... just took Baby Girl in.  

It took me about 5 days to tell Ken that she was a pit bull. Course, he had already figured that out. When I took her to have her spayed, the vet tech I had known for years said she had figured I would NEVER have had another pit, after that attack, because they almost had to amputate my right hand and right foot... He did that much damage in about 15 seconds. If not for the fact that 3 of my other pits were in the house, I would have been dead. 

I found Dixie on Craigslist, but this time I knew she was a pit... I know that some pits may resemble a boxer mix, but Dixie is 100% white pit and I knew it. Two vet techs had rescued her and she had every parasite known to man, heartworm positive, etc. It took them almost a year to get her healthy enough to have her spayed, but I knew immediately she was MINE.

She was about 14 years old, and one morning she woke up with breathing problems. We took her to the vet, and Ken had always wanted a chihuahua. So he just asked "you don't by chance have a chihuahua you want to get rid of, do you?" And believe it or not, an owner had come in just a few minutes earlier to have her euthanized because she could not afford the food and vet care.

So needless to say, we went in with one dog and came out with two. And Emma and Dixie are BEST FRIENDS... they sleep together and the whole nine yards. Dixie is a HUGE pit, about 85 lbs. So big that when we got her, I had to get my son to come over and install a larger doggie door. The biggest one they made! And Emma is about 8 lbs.  She is also a "senior citizen"... about 15 years old.

All of my dogs are really seniors, and am in the process of starting the paperwork for a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is going to be called "Senior Citizen Canine Rescue", assuming I make it to the "senior" site, since I have battled everything from kidney cancer to a perforated ulcer to a stroke to a broken hip on Memorial Day, but am still going strong. My hobby is eBay... I have an eBay store called "Kaitlynn's Korner" after one of my granddaughters, and I don't really make much money... it is just a hobby.

Once a dog lover, foster mom and foster failure: how life's turns can be so strange but so rewarding.

Sharon Johnson