Since this faithful day back in December of 07 Lex has led a very colourful and happy, well-adjusted life and is a shinning example of a great Bully Breed Rescue Dog so I thought I would fill you in on her accomplishments. Maybe her story will inspire other folks who want to adopt but are on the fence.
Since Lex came to me she has had many other 4 legged creatures in her life. At first she lived with 2 cats, then I would routinely take her to the stable with me where she would socialize with cats, kittens, dogs, and horses alike. Supervised and leashed of course around the horses to prevent her high energy from spooking them and someone getting hurt. As recently as six months ago we acquired another female dog, this time a Presa Canario Pitty cross named Jersey. She was also from a rescue situation and after some work with socializing, Lex has adopted this little girl as her own best buddy.
Since I adopted Lex she has become a staple in my life as I feel all dogs should be to their owners. She comes to work with me often, and moved with me to Edmonton when it became necessary for me to go. Hahaha I even drove to Edmonton and drove back to Vancouver on my numerous visits so that I could keep her with me and spare her the stress of flying. That cost me 12 hours one way as opposed to a 1 hour flight however the peace of mind of having my dog by my side was well worth the effort. Even when the roads became un-drivable I bought this slight 50lbs girl her own extra extra large kennel and took the train home for Christmas just to ensure she could stay with me at all times and to ensure her comfort and safety.
In the Spring of 2009 we moved back to Vancouver where Lex has a full townhouse to pass time in (never kenneled) when she can’t come to work with me and spends her day with our cat Boo (also a rescue) and Jersey. Lex even got a front row seat for the Winter Olympics as I worked at the UBC Thunderbird Hockey Arena with the Site Management Team and Lex became the site mascot for us as well as for the RCMP on site. She stole everyone’s heart, played stick and cuddled with everyone on the site back of house compound. She literally met crowds of 10 and 20 people daily who would eagerly come to visit and play with her when they saw my truck and knew she was on site. Some days we were out there for up to 18 hours so having her with me was a great way for everyone to pass time and keep our spirits up and laughing.
Since the Olympics she spends her spare time mountain biking, hiking, (she climbed the Chief in Squamish and visited the Meager Creek Hot Springs in Pemberton this summer) camping (she and Jersey make great space heaters in the tent), swimming at any lake, river, pool, or ocean handy, and recently has taken a strong liking to motor boating (in her hoodie and life jacket of course). Since Lex came to me as a high strung wild puppy who didn’t know the meaning of the word “No” she has matured into a reasonably calm and well adjusted sweet girl who will do anything I would ask of her, be it jump off a rock and trust me to catch her, or climb in the bath tub by herself when she has had too much fun in the great outdoors.
Lex had a turbulent past when she came to me and winning her over took a little time, she also has severe hay fever type allergies, and is hard of seeing which makes her nervous around items and bush/fluffy animals that she does not recognize. With that said she is so exceptionally well behaved, responsive and devoted to me that these issues are a very very small price to pay for having such a great dog and she overcomes these challenges daily with ease and an exceptionally happy disposition. Lex and Jersey were so well mannered that they recently took part in a video shoot to be part of a new iphone app depicting playing with bully breed dogs. They had a great time playing fetch and splashing around in the water. They were so focused and did such a good job that they have been asked to come back and shoot at another location. I feel a bit like a proud parent I'm not gonna lie!
In summation she has stolen our hearts and the hearts of many others and with any luck this story will inspire other folks to give another dog in need a second chance, because their pasts truly do not need to dictate who they become in the future. Cheers and thank you for the greatest dog I could ask for... well ok in fairness to Jersey, top two!
Karolina
