The Lost Dogs Part 12

On Monday, August 19, Catalina's friend Robert had arisen in her house and set about caring for his two dogs and Jasmine. He fed them, he gave them water, he let them out in the yard. Jasmine had been holding up. She didn't seem happy but she was surviving, getting by, as she always did.

In the afternoon, Robert decided to take the dogs for a walk in a nearby park that Jasmine liked. As they made their way around, one of Robert's dogs started to yelp and limp. Robert moved in to investigate. The dog had stepped on some broken gla.s.s. Robert brushed it off but there were a few little embedded pieces. As he tried to work them free the dog continued to whine and bark, nipping at his hands a little and trying to pull its leg away. Engrossed in the task and struggling against the dog, Robert blocked out everything else around him. The other leashes slipped from his hand.

Within a few minutes he was able to clear the last shards of gla.s.s from the dog's foot. He looked up. His other dog was standing right next to him and Jasmine was not far off, either. She had continued slowly sniffing her way along the path, and now stood maybe twenty feet away.

Catching Jasmine when she was not tethered to anything could still be a ch.o.r.e for anyone who was not Catalina. For all the progress Jasmine had made, for all the manners and training she'd acquired, that one quirk remained. A lingering fear instilled in her from her past life that continued to dictate her future.

Robert tried to very calmly walk toward her, hoping he could get close enough to grab the leash before Jasmine even noticed she'd been set free. He'd hardly made it two steps when Jasmine turned to look at him. She held her head low, tucked between her shoulders. He froze.

He bent down to one knee and called her, the cheeriness in his voice masking the anxiety rising within him. "Jasmine. Come 'ere, Jasmine. Come on." Jasmine turned her head and looked across the expanse of the park. One side of it was bordered by a farm, where tall stalks of late summer corn waved in the breeze.

She looked back at Robert and appeared for all the world to be considering her options. She couldn't know that Catalina was only four days away. She only knew that the afternoons on the deck with Desmond were gone. The walks and the ma.s.sages were gone. The singing was gone. The love was gone.

Jasmine turned away from Robert and headed for the cornfield at a trot. Robert immediately turned and ran back to his car. He put his dogs inside and sprinted for the field, calling Jasmine's name. As he moved along the outer edge of the corn he came upon a kid, an eleven-or twelve-year-old boy riding his bike. The boy agreed to help and the two of them walked through the field calling for Jasmine. From time to time they would get a glimpse of her, a flash of brown running through the stalks, or hear the jingle of her leash and collar, but they could never find her. They could never get their hands on her.

It had been hours and Robert began to worry about his own dogs, locked up in the car. He thanked the boy for his help then drove back to Catalina's. He dropped his dogs and tracked down a friend who agreed to meet him back at the farm. The two walked the grounds and the surrounding area, calling, searching. They went home only after it was too dark to see.

The next day the police found Jasmine's body on Liberty Road. After examining the scene, they surmised that she'd been struck by a car and killed instantly.

Catalina didn't sleep that night. She didn't really cry, either. She didn't do anything. It was as if she'd simply shut down inside. She felt as though she needed to be strong for everyone else. On the phone, Karen had been so distraught that Catalina ended up comforting her. From what she'd been told Robert was beside himself, and she was heading over there first thing in the morning to see him. After that she would still have to tell her kids and field calls from people at the rescue. She would have to tell all of them that it was no one's fault, and that it could have happened to anyone, which she truly believed. The problem was that she'd also have to say everything was all right and that she would be okay, but she wasn't at all sure that was true.

When she finally got to Robert, he was inconsolable. He couldn't even speak. He simply cried and cried and Catalina did what she could to make him feel better. The kids took it with more aplomb. "Jasmine had to leave us," Catalina told them. "She had to go to heaven." The family had lost two other dogs over the years, so the children were familiar with the concept. They were old enough to understand the idea and young enough not to question it.

And so she moved from minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day, taking calls, answering e-mails, sorting through her feelings without ever truly feeling them. A week went by, ten days. The maelstrom pa.s.sed. The phone stopped and the e-mails stopped and the world moved on. Then it was just Catalina, alone in the house.

A local artist, inspired by Jasmine's story, had painted a picture of her, and it had been given to Catalina as a gift. Catalina hung it on the wall in her daughter's room. Then she and her daughter painted b.u.t.terflies and hung them around the outside of the painting. It was their little memorial to Jasmine.

Desmond played in the yard with Rogue, but he seemed a little lost. He lay on the deck alone. Catalina too moved around the house in something of a daze. As much as she gave to Jasmine, she had always felt that she'd gotten more in return and she'd never felt that more powerfully than now. She loved her children more than anything, and she felt like Jasmine was her third child, but because of her limitations she was different. She needed more and that somehow made their relationship even deeper.

When Jasmine was there her life had purpose and meaning. She wanted to have purpose again.

She took to getting up very early, maybe 5:00 A.M. She liked it when the house was semi-dark and quiet. She could feel Jasmine during those times, or at least the remnants of her, the indelible impressions she'd left behind that became visible in the slanting light, like fingerprints on a gla.s.s table.

One morning the sky was gray and it was raining so hard that the sound of the drops. .h.i.tting the roof filled the house. Out of nowhere Catalina heard a bird singing. The sound was so bright and clear she felt as if the bird were singing directly to her. As she listened the song reminded her of the one she used to sing: On the day that Jasmine was born / The angels sang a beautiful song . . . On the day that Jasmine was born / The angels sang a beautiful song . . .

She hadn't thought about the song in weeks and calling it up now made her smile, made her remember how much Jasmine loved it and how happy it made her. Suddenly she became convinced that the bird was Jasmine. Just as the star in the sky over Croatia had been Jasmine reaching out to her, Jasmine was now singing to Catalina. The roles were reversed; Jasmine now offered a song to pull Catalina through the haze of her trauma.

Catalina decided to go to San Francisco to see some old friends. She'd begun to deal with her grief in bits and pieces, but she knew it would take months, even years to fully confront the pain inside her. The process really began that weekend, though, and before she left for home Catalina found herself at a tattoo parlor. She had one tattoo already, a b.u.t.terfly she'd gotten after her grandmother died.

At that time that she'd felt that as long as she was alive, as long as she inhabited this body, her grandmother would be with her, literally tattooed onto her. She felt the same way about Jasmine. So she sat in the chair and winced as the artist etched into her skin the image of a bird about to take flight. The bird was looking up and its eyes burrowed into whoever viewed it, just like Jasmine's used to do. The tattoo was the bird that had sung to her that sad morning. The bird that was Jasmine.

The past turned over and over in Catalina's mind. She didn't want to revisit it. She didn't want to entertain the "could haves" or the "should haves." Nothing lives forever. Accidents happen. Life happens. Blame and remorse are not factors in the equation. If not now, if not this way, Jasmine would have died some other way.

Catalina often talked about such things with Karen Reese. They were kindred spirits in this sense-they believed in the purpose and connectedness of things and in the power of their instincts to guide them. Shortly after the gag order on the Vick dogs was lifted, Reese met with a journalist who wanted to write about them. She mentioned that she'd received many calls but that this was the only one she'd returned. The journalist thanked her for choosing him, but Reese interjected, "No, no, I didn't choose you. You were sent to us; you were sent to us for a reason."

Likewise Catalina and Karen believed that Jasmine had been sent to them for a purpose. They felt as though Jasmine had a mission in this life and having achieved what she set out to do, she had been freed to move on. Jasmine was off to do something else, somewhere else, while the rest of us were left to follow our own paths.

This is Jasmine's purpose.

This is the story she tells.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?.

THE DOGS.

CHESAPEAKE 54902: AUDIE (BAD RAP).

Dutch, the little dog who rode in Nicole Rattay's lap for large chunks of his cross-country journey, was eventually adopted by Linda Chwistek, the BAD RAP volunteer who helped develop the group's Canine Good Citizen program (which has more than a hundred successful graduates). Chwistek was looking for a dog with the physique and athleticism to compete in agility compet.i.tions, timed races in which dogs run through a series of gates. Dutch had originally gone to another foster, but Chwistek saw him and thought he had potential. She took him in, renamed him Audie, and set to the training, but there were a few obstacles to overcome first.

To begin with, Audie-no surprise-had some behavioral issues. He fit right in with Chwistek's two other pit bulls, but he circled in his crate, nipped clothes to get attention, and constantly jumped up on the table or kitchen counter. An experienced trainer, Chwistek could deal with those things, but Audie's biggest problem was something she couldn't handle herself; he needed surgery on both knees in his hind legs. In December of 2008 Audie went under the knife, a procedure financed by BAD RAP with the money from the Vick settlement.

While Audie recovered, Chwistek worked on his basic training and he became a star not only around the house but in the small northern California town where he lives. Every morning Chwistek walks her dogs down along the waterfront, where many commuters are heading for the ferry. Audie, shy at first, has become a favorite part of the scene. With Chwistek handing out treats to people, who then fed them to Audie, he came to know a group of regulars, including Bob the newspaper guy. If Audie's running late, many of his friends will wait for him, as if the daily "h.e.l.lo" from the little pit bull is a part of their morning routine they can not miss. And when Audie sees Bob, he jumps in his lap. Once a week, Chwistek and her husband, Bill, take Audie out to a restaurant, so he can learn to settle down and relax in new and different situations.

In April 2009, Audie had finally recovered from his surgery enough that he could start his agility training. Chwistek worked with him twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. She also took him to a few compet.i.tions so he could see what went on and get used to the atmosphere. The full training program usually takes a little more than a year to complete, and Audie is on track to enter his first compet.i.tion in the fall of 2010.

CHESAPEAKE 54903: SOX (ANIMAL RESCUE OF TIDEWATER).

During the initial ASPCA evaluations, she was one of the worst of the low-response dogs, to the point where the team openly discussed euthanasia. She could hardly open her eyes and seemed unable to focus even when she did. However, since arriving at the home where she was fostered and then adopted, she's done incredibly well. Like several of the other Bad Newz dogs, Sox has babesia, a bloodborne parasite that's common in fighting dogs and can make them very ill. Veterinarians don't know a lot about babesia because most fighting dogs don't live long enough for them to study and work with the condition. In retrospect some of the evaluators now believe that on the day they first met Sox she was suffering through a particularly bad spike in her symptoms. In late 2009, she received her certification as a therapy dog.

CHESAPEAKE 54904: CURLY (BEST FRIENDS).

When Curly arrived at Best Friends, he was so addled by kennel stress and pent-up energy that he bounced off the walls. He jumped and ran and paced so much that he couldn't even live in a crate, it was just too confining for him. He had no idea how to deal with people, and when caregivers entered his run he'd jump up on them and nip at their clothes to get attention. At the same time, he was a bit afraid of other dogs and preferred to go for walks at night, when he couldn't see them and they couldn't see him. During those excursions he was notably more confident. As he had time to relax and the staff worked with him on his manners and basic training, he calmed down. Eventually he moved into a crate and came to really love it, finding it a safe zone where he could chill out. He made friends with a few other dogs, and even had one buddy he enjoyed wrestling with, but the other dog was so much bigger that the staff didn't like the match. After Cherry Garcia was adopted, Curly moved into an office, where he spends his time with Mya, who he continues to grow closer to. Unfortunately, his training didn't include office manners, and he went through a period where he ate everything he could find, pulling papers off desks, tearing up cardboard boxes. He occasionally goes home with one of the staff members and does well on those sleepovers, which have helped him deal with his lingering fear of new places. There's even a family that wants to adopt him, but he needs to pa.s.s his Canine Good Citizen test before that can happen.

CHESAPEAKE 54905: JONNY JUSTICE (BAD RAP) CHESAPEAKE 54906: SHADOW (BEST FRIENDS).

When Shadow landed at Best Friends, he was so nervous and paced so much that even with four feedings a day (double the norm) he couldn't keep weight on. He avoided contact with people and often froze up, especially when going through doors or pa.s.sing other dogs. Over time Shadow relaxed and blossomed into something of a big gangly teenager. Now close to seventy pounds, he's clumsy and likes to snuggle himself into the smallest crates he can find. These days he shares his living s.p.a.ce with another dog, maintains a healthy weight, and loves being petted by his caregivers.

CHESAPEAKE 54907: ZIPPY (BAD RAP).

Small and fun-loving Zippy has settled into the Hernandez household, a place filled with two other dogs and three children under the age of ten. The parents, Berenice and Jesse, have been fostering dogs longer than they've had kids, so the children have grown up with pit bulls and approach them without any of the prejudices most other people maintain. The two daughters, Eliana and Vanessa, roll and wrestle with Zippy in a way that would make those who don't understand pit bulls cringe. But Zippy is great with all three kids, including Francisco, who's only a toddler.

CHESAPEAKE 54916: MAKEVELLI (ALL OR NOTHING RESCUE).

Makevelli was one of three Vick dogs signed over to a partnership of the Georgia SPCA and All or Nothing Rescue, which is run by tattoo artist Brandon Bond. An experienced rescuer, Bond has been saving dogs since witnessing a fight at a backyard party as a teen in his native Texas. "It melted me," he says. "I couldn't believe people were getting pleasure out of what I was seeing." He was so disgusted that he vowed to do whatever he could to help combat the problem. He soon adopted his first pit bull, Cain, who's still with him. Shortly after he started All or Nothing, based in Smyrna, Georgia, and the organization has since saved more than four hundred dogs.

Bond fostered Makevelli himself and soon realized that like many of the Bad Newz dogs, Mak, as he's called, had fear issues, especially around people. "If you opened a soda bottle next to him, he might shoot across the room," Bond says. In particular, Mak "seemed to be afraid of large men," Bond continues. "He loved my wife-she's only five feet tall-and he seemed to trust people who were with other dogs, but he had a lot of fear." Bond's house was a hive of activity with people and dogs coming and going all the time. The scene allowed Bond to help Mak settle down by providing a stable environment with a steady cast of friends, but also to build trust and confidence by introducing a rotating cast of people and dogs. Mak adjusted, and while he still battles moments of anxiety, he has found a happy rhythm-and "a girlfriend." Among the many animals at Bond's house, there was a female foster pit bull named Annie Oakley that Mak took a particular liking to. "They were inseparable," says Bond. "He hated it when she was in the other room. The poor guy had it bad." Or the opposite.

CHESAPEAKE 54917: LITTLE RED (BEST FRIENDS) CHESAPEAKE 54918: GRACE (BAD RAP).

Another one of the dogs that made the RV trip from Virginia to northern California, Grace went home to San Diego with Nicole Rattay. Grace was adjusting well and making progress in her training, but after a year in Southern California she had no takers on the adoption front. The BAD RAP brain trust thought she might stand a better chance up north where the group had a larger reach, so Grace was shipped back to Donna Reynolds and Tim Racer, who turned to one of their ace-in-the-hole foster volunteers, Cris Cohen. Grace has spent the past year with Cris and Jen, and they've been impressed with her smarts even as they've been overwhelmed by her boundless energy. She still seems a little leery of people at times, but for the most part carries on without any problems. She gets along well with Lilly, but she and Jonny have become like two shoes in a pair. They love to play fetch and tug together, and if they could, they'd spend the entire day wrestling in the yard.

CHESAPEAKE 54919: BONITA (BEST FRIENDS).

Bonita was another dog that suffered from babesia and it compromised her immune system and made her very sick at times. She also had a lot of scars, broken or worn-down teeth, and a run-first reaction to other dogs that led her handlers to wonder if she too had been a bait dog. Like Little Red, Bonita flashed a nervous smile, although in her case it was even more endearing because she had a sort of crooked face that indicated nerve damage and made her sideways grin that much more winning and heartbreaking at the same time. She was another dog that liked to sit in any warm lap she could find. Her already problematic teeth further deteriorated and she required an operation to fix them. In February 2008, she went into the clinic for dental surgery and never woke up from the anesthesia. She's buried at Eagle's Rest, the cemetery at Best Friends.

HANOVER 26: GINGER (SPCA FOR MONTEREY COUNTY).

When Ginger arrived at the SPCA, she was a timid sh.e.l.l of an animal, greatly in need of compa.s.sion, patience, love, and understanding. In her early days Ginger clung to the safety of her crate and resisted any effort to draw her out. She had no idea what to do with common comforts for dogs, such as squeaky toys and beds. Stacy Dubuc, the woman who first fostered and then adopted Ginger, slowly introduced her to a normal existence and showed her how to enjoy the experiences available to her.

Ginger has evolved into a happy and loving dog that enjoys running in the yard, playing with toys, and eating treats. She gets incredibly excited when she sees her leash, knowing that she is either going for a ride in the car or on a walk. She loves exploring, and in the car she spends much of the time with her nose smushed against the window. Most of all, she loves curling up for a nap on the couch or taking up more than her share of the bed as she snores the night away.

HANOVER 27: HALLE (BEST FRIENDS).

One of the younger dogs in the group, Halle had no scars and no fear of other dogs. She was afraid of people at first, but she was so good with dogs that she became the dog the staff used to test other dogs. She was so calm and welcoming that she often could bring other dogs out of their sh.e.l.ls. As she has adapted to being around people, she has become very relaxed and loves attention. Eventually one of the Best Friends caregivers who has six other dogs and a few cats took her home as a foster and she fit right in. The move sped up her progress, and in July 2009 she became the first of the Vick dogs at Best Friends to be adopted. Her new family has another pit bull and Halle gets along great with it.

HANOVER 28: MEL (BEST FRIENDS).

Mel barked when people approached, and he was making a racket in hopes of backing people off because he was afraid. But Mel loved being with other dogs, so his handlers thought they could use that to warm him up to people. They let Mel have time with other dogs only in people-heavy places, such as the offices at Best Friends. Mel's people fears did begin to ease, but there was another problem. Mel liked to chew on stuff, including wires. So Mel's office time had to be limited. Still, the trainers found other ways to socialize him and one staffer eventually took him home as a foster dog. He loved playing with the three dogs who lived in his new foster home and continued to get friendlier with people, but he also continued to chew, laying waste to many items in his foster home, including a brand-new couch. In time, Mel became so people-friendly that he was adopted and now lives happily in a full-time home.

HANOVER 29: OLIVER (BEST FRIENDS).

One of the surprising things about the Vick dogs has been how few of them are pure American pit bull terriers. A number were Staffordshire bull terriers and screenings have found some to include genetic imprints of everything from Italian greyhounds to whippets. Oliver looked like something else altogether. "Who snuck the Boston terrier in there?" staffers joked about Oliver, because that's what he looked like. He had no manners when he arrived, but he learned them quickly, and caregivers helped him overcome the slight discomfort he showed around people by hand-feeding him. One of the caregivers fostered Oliver at home to provide him with an even more settled environment. In November 2009 he became the fifth of the Best Friends dogs to be adopted.

HANOVER 30: SQUEAKER (BEST FRIENDS).

It's been one thing at a time for Squeaker. She was so stressed out by and attuned to external stimuli when she first came to Best Friends that she would spend her entire day racing along the fence line of her run. She was at this so constantly that the staff was having a hard time keeping weight on her. To decrease her energetic reactivity to the world around her, she was moved into the laundry room, a place that's constantly occupied by only one person and filled with fresh towels and blankets. Squeaker was able to bond with the person she shared the room with, and she picked out a cozy corner of the room to call her own. With far less stimulation, she relaxed. She was always friendly to people, but soon became even friendlier, to the point that she likes to rise up on her rear legs, throw her front paws over a visitor's shoulders, and give a hug. She plays calmly now when given time in her outdoor run and has maintained a healthy weight. She's even become more comfortable with other dogs, regularly giving play bows through the fence and showing a desire to be with them.

HANOVER 31: JHUMPA JONES (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE/ OUT OF THE PITS).

Claimed by the Richmond Animal League, she was sent to a rescue organization in New York that had a foster arrangement in place. The foster situation fell through and Jhumpa lingered in a crate in a veterinarian's office for months with limited interaction and enrichment. Her condition deteriorated and some members of the original evaluation team wondered if she should be put down because she was beginning to suffer. Finally, rescuer Kathleen Pierce stepped forward and took in Jhumpa. After so many months in a shelter, Jhumpa was in bad shape, but with training and steady care, she recovered. Today, she lives in Pierce's house with a whole pack of dogs and cats and is being trained for therapy work.

HANOVER 32: UBA (BAD RAP).

Uba was the dog pictured in the New York Daily News Daily News and the and the New York Times New York Times under the headline PIT BULLS FROM THE VICK DOGFIGHTING CASE AWAIT FATES. He proved to be anything but a killer. Graded as ready for a foster home, he was part of the original group of thirteen dogs that took the cross-country RV trip to northern California. He was fostered there by Letti De Little, a BAD RAP volunteer who had another pit bull and a cat. Uba became great friends with De Little's other pets and she eventually adopted him. He regularly gets together with other Vick dogs in the San Francisco area for walks and playtime. He has his Canine Good Citizen certification and now helps De Little with new foster dogs by setting a good, calm example. under the headline PIT BULLS FROM THE VICK DOGFIGHTING CASE AWAIT FATES. He proved to be anything but a killer. Graded as ready for a foster home, he was part of the original group of thirteen dogs that took the cross-country RV trip to northern California. He was fostered there by Letti De Little, a BAD RAP volunteer who had another pit bull and a cat. Uba became great friends with De Little's other pets and she eventually adopted him. He regularly gets together with other Vick dogs in the San Francisco area for walks and playtime. He has his Canine Good Citizen certification and now helps De Little with new foster dogs by setting a good, calm example.

HANOVER 41: HANDSOME DAN (BEST FRIENDS).

With a tawny coat and attractive features, Handsome Dan is as good-looking as they come. Like many of the other dogs he was shy and fearful of people, but he was not a barker. He tended to simply retreat and hide when approached. When left on his own he would pace or circle. Once he settled down he became one of the best overall specimens in the group, as he got along well with people, dogs, and cats. As his confidence rose he enjoyed nothing more than going for walks, during which he would almost prance like a show horse, a move that earned him a second name: Dancing Dan. He was adopted in December 2009 by a family that included a young child, and Dan bonded with the child immediately. The adjustment to his new home set off a phase in which he seemed to be reliving the puppyhood he never had-getting into things, jumping on the couch, etc.-but he has since settled into a comfortable new life.

HANOVER 42: IGGY (BAD RAP).

A very shy and shut-down dog, Iggy lives with Nicole Rattay in Southern California. Within his little world-Rattay's house and yard-and his regular circle of friends, he's very happy and comfortable. But the larger world remains a little too much for him, and he turns shy and fearful when he ventures out.

HANOVER 43: SEVEN (GEORGIA SPCA/ALL OR NOTHING RESCUE).

Brandon Bond placed this dog, a female originally named Aretha, in the foster home of a longtime friend, Daron James, who had worked with numerous pit bulls before. Despite her deep scars and signs that she'd been bred multiple times (she was pregnant when confiscated but lost the pups when she was spayed), she was a fearless and curious dog who responded very well to the training she received at an obedience school. James renamed the dog Seven, the number Michael Vick wears on his football jersey, as a nod to where she'd come from and an acknowledgment that he'd been lucky to come across her. "They had a great connection," Bond said. "He saved her life, and she was a very happy dog."

A short time later a good friend of James's committed suicide, sending him into a state of depression that worried his friends. "The only thing that pulled him out was that dog," says Bond. "He took all the pain in his heart and poured it into Seven. The tables turned. She saved his life."

James eventually pulled out of his funk and committed to adopting Seven as soon as the six-month waiting period was up. He moved to Florida, where both man and dog continued to recover and rebuild. But on July 1, 2008, Seven slipped out of a fenced yard for an instant, bolted across the street, and was struck by a car. The driver stopped, helped James pick up Seven and rush her to the animal hospital. She died on the way.

HANOVER 44: HECTOR (BAD RAP).

A big brown dog with scars on his chest and legs, Hector was taken in by BAD RAP and, thanks to his sterling demeanor, he was ticketed for an organization that trains law dogs. Unfortunately, he proved to be too old to undergo the training and returned to BAD RAP. He moved among a few foster homes before landing on Cris Cohen's doorstep. Eventually, Hector was adopted by Roo Yori, who is well-known in the pit bull world as the keeper of Wallace, a national flying disc champion.

At Yori's home in Minnesota, Hector not only made friends with Wallace, he became part of a pack of six dogs that included s...o...b.., a rat terrier, and Mindy Lou, a fifteen-pound toy Aussie who ran the entire house with an iron paw. From the beginning, Hector fit right in. He romped around the house and the yard with other dogs, and in the late mornings he napped on the Yoris' bed with Mindy Lou and s...o...b.. snuggled up next to him. Like many of his fellow Bad Newz refugees, he proved to be a klutz-running into doors, tripping on steps, and generally flopping around-which only made him more endearing. He also showed off his mischievous streak. Hide and go seek seemed to be his favorite game, and Roo and his wife, Clara, were never sure where a missing shoe or sock would turn up.

Under the Yoris' tutelage Hector aced his Canine Good Citizen test for a second time, pa.s.sed the American Temperament Test Society exam, and received his therapy dog certification. Hector and Clara now make regular visits to hospitals, nursing homes, and schools to provide comfort to the ailing and to educate people about pit bulls and dogfighting.

HOPEWELL 002491: LEO (OUR PACK) SUFFOLK M-0380: ALF (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE).

A small male dog with a reddish coat and big ears who was initially very shy around people, Alf was adopted by a woman in Oklahoma who worked extensively to bring him around. After more than a year he had adjusted well and the pair started visiting schools as part of an at-risk youth program she was involved with. From the start the vets who worked with Alf knew that he had a lot of old scar tissue in his intestinal tract, which could have been the result of anything from a traumatic injury to eating rocks. In October 2009, Alf swallowed part of a rawhide, and though he was immediately taken to the vet and kept overnight for observation, a piece of the hide tore open the old wounds, and he died in his sleep.

SUFFOLK F-0381: GRACIE (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE).

She started off as Sherry, but after she was adopted by Sharon Cornett of the Richmond Animal League, she was renamed Gracie and she's become a local celebrity. She attends conferences and meetings about animal welfare, goes into schools to help educate kids about dogs, and does anything she can to show people that they have nothing to fear from pit bulls. She's happiest around other dogs, but has always been comfortable around people, too, and the first time she saw a couch she jumped right on it. Since then she's spent a lot of well-earned time on the sofa.

SUFFOLK M-0382: RAY (BEST FRIENDS).

Like Curly, Ray came in bouncing off the walls. He jumped all over and grabbed at clothes. But he was very people-focused and eager to please, so his handlers corrected the behavior by leaving as soon as he started doing anything they didn't like. Ray soon realized that he couldn't behave this way if he wanted company-which he did-and he settled down and did well with training. A smaller dog (forty pounds or so), he has earned his Canine Good Citizen certificate and is always a favorite of people who come to visit. He almost certainly would have been adopted already, but he doesn't get along well with other dogs and that severely limits his options.

SUFFOLK M-0383: OSCAR (BEST FRIENDS).

Oscar came in with medical issues but once he recovered physically he made up ground quickly. He had a willingness to learn and in December 2008, after a period of intense one-on-one training, he became the first of the Vick dogs at Best Friends to pa.s.s his Canine Good Citizen test. Oscar's advance in skills was part of an increase in confidence that also helped him come out of his sh.e.l.l around people. Unfortunately, he doesn't do as well around other dogs. He tolerates those he encounters in the course of his day, but he can't live with them.

SUFFOLK M-0384: LANCE (BEST FRIENDS).

Lance arrived as one the most fearful of the Vick dogs. It took him months and months to even learn how to walk on a leash or get in a car, but he has made steady progress. Now he spends his days hanging around the Best Friends adoption office with three to five other dogs and even a few cats. He comes and goes through a doggie door that leads to a large outdoor run. He's still cautious around strangers, but he loves to play with the people around the office and he sleeps with a group of dogs at night.

SUSs.e.x 2601: MABEL (RICHMOND ANIMAL LEAGUE).

Like Jhumpa Jones, Mabel was fostered out to a rescue group in New York. She moved through a number of foster homes for the first year and a half before finally settling in with one woman who plans to adopt her.

SUSs.e.x 2602: SWEET JASMINE (RECYCLED LOVE) SUSs.e.x 2603: SWEET PEA (RECYCLED LOVE).

A dog with multiple scars and an affinity for Sweet Jasmine, Sweet Pea also went from WARL to Recycled Love. She was fostered with one of the group's experienced rescuers, a man who has successfully worked with half a dozen other pit bulls. Sweet Pea, who continued to struggle with fear issues, shared her foster home with two other dogs, a pit bull mix named Bull and a terrier named Sadie. And although she always enjoyed her get-togethers with Sweet Jasmine and never had a problem with any of the other dogs at Catalina Stirling's house or with Bull, she once bit Sadie. As a result, she's no longer allowed to interact with other dogs, other than Bull, but her foster caregiver continues to help Sweet Pea work through her troubles-and she's made progress.

SUSs.e.x 2604: FRODO (BAD RAP).

Frodo was one of the shyest dogs that made the RV trip to Oakland, and it has been a slow climb for him. But step by step he's becoming more confident and coming out of his sh.e.l.l. He gets along well with other dogs, and Kim Ramirez, who adopted him, says that in 2009 he wasn't even afraid of the Christmas tree, a sight that terrified him a year earlier.

SUSs.e.x 2605: GEORGIA (BEST FRIENDS).

Georgia came in angry and suspicious. She closely guarded anything she was given and made sure to let anyone who came near know that they shouldn't mess with her or her stuff. She didn't have any teeth (the last of them had fallen out at Washington Animal Rescue League), but there was still little doubt that she meant business. She didn't trust anyone and wouldn't even look anyone in the eye.

Georgia had learned to defend her turf, but she was smart. Before long she figured out that things worked differently at Best Friends, where people were kind and no one tried to take her stuff away. If fact, when people came around they usually brought food or special treats for her. Very quickly, Georgia got with the program and her personality flourished.

She liked plush toys, so the staff gave her a giant one-it was almost half her size-and she carried it around proudly. She loved fake bones and received a steady supply. She liked to stand on top of her doghouse, so she was given one with a flat roof. She enjoyed playing with her stuff outside, so she was given plenty of time out in her run, although her water bucket had to be tied down to keep her from playing with that, too.

Most of all, she came to love attention. She has scars all over her face and one side of her mouth hangs open where her jaw had been broken, leaving her tongue constantly dangling and giving her a look that is at once fierce and farcical. No wonder she became a TV favorite, making numerous appearances, including a visit to the Ellen Ellen show. She even has a pink-rhinestone collar she wears for such occasions. All the exposure has done her some good, as someone has applied to adopt her, but according to the court settlement she has to pa.s.s her Canine Good Citizen test, which she hasn't been able to do. Yet. show. She even has a pink-rhinestone collar she wears for such occasions. All the exposure has done her some good, as someone has applied to adopt her, but according to the court settlement she has to pa.s.s her Canine Good Citizen test, which she hasn't been able to do. Yet.

SUSs.e.x 2606: ERNIE (BAD RAP).

Ernie was a curious case. When the ASPCA evaluation team originally met with all the dogs, Tim Racer used Ernie as a test dog because he was so stable and calm. Whenever Racer wanted to see if one dog was friendly around others, he would trot Ernie out to test the reaction. Ernie was a trooper throughout, but once he got into the real world he struggled, reacting negatively to other dogs if he was on his leash. With time, he became more comfortable and the problem worked itself out. He's been adopted into a home where he lives with another dog and two cats and he earned his Canine Good Citizen certification in the fall of 2009.

SUSs.e.x 2607: WILLIE (BEST FRIENDS).