Rescue Story - Bandit, Chris & Aubrey

We had the absolute pleasure of sharing some beautiful images of Bandit earlier this week, shot by the wonderful Thomas Pitera Photography{ see the full post here }. Today we have a follow up with more lovely pictures from their Pet Photography session together along with Bandit's parents Chris & Aubrey and of course Bandit's rescue story. Over to Aubrey...

"I pretty much know all the dogs that are at the local shelter (OCAS) all the time because of volunteering there and with rescues as well. I show my husband photos of dogs needing homes on a daily basis.  One particular day I showed him Bandit (unnamed at the time) and Chris said he wanted to foster him.  We waited to see if any rescues stepped up for him or even better he might be adopted from OCAS but once we saw the heartworm positive status we knew it was unlikely. Eventually I asked Sniffing Snouts Rescue to pull him for us to foster him, which they did. 5 minutes of him being in our house my husband was in love with him. So even though this was not really a plan, we decided to rescue/adopt him because we knew he didn't have a great past and we knew we could provide that to him. Also he had very minimal issues fitting into my pack and I have many different personalities in my pack so we felt it was meant to be."

"I went by myself to meet Bandit for the first time prior to us bringing him home. I wanted to make sure he didn't seem aggressive towards me or to other dogs. He didn't actually show a lot of interest in me upon meeting him - he mostly wanted to sniff around the play yard. This did not bother me a bit. Some people who seek out a dog to adopt want a hyper, happy, playful dog when they meet them and are disinterested in those who are a bit more aloof. I already have one high energy dog who can be a handful so I was happy to see him a bit more independent.  He was thin at the shelter and still unaltered at this time. He didn't really know how to be a pet back then. He is still a low energy dog but he soaks up the lovin' now whereas before he didn't seem to understand it and kept more to himself. He is no longer thin, in fact for a while he was getting a bit pudgy. We got him back to a healthy weight and his coat looks fantastic."

"Being so involved in the animal community, I was actually lucky enough to speak with the woman who brought him into the shelter. She had found him at a gas station and lured him to her with some food. She says that he was wearing two collars, one of which was far too tight. She didn't know what to do with him and she took him to OCAS. When she found out that he was being taken in by a rescue group she asked which one and was able to find me online. At this point I had already decided to keep him (didn't take long).  My personal opinion based on how he acted is that he was an outside dog prior to the shelter and he wasn't given much attention. He didn't understand what being an inside pet was. I would let him out to potty and he would lay down and not come back in.  He felt that's where he was supposed to be. He was not potty trained and heartworm positive so I really feel he used to live outside without much interaction. He has definitely learned how to be a spoiled inside dog now. He is heartworm free, potty trained and he loves to cuddle.  He is truly a wonderful pet."

"I would and will rescue a dog again in the future when mine have passed on.  I don't think I can ever justify getting a dog from a breeder, responsible or not, simple due to the number of perfectly adoptable pets at the local shelter. I also love how unique mutts are. I haven't met anyone who has a dog that looks just like one of my mixed breeds and I like that. And of course I love knowing that I saved a dog from a bad situation and possibly even euthanasia. All 4 of my dogs are rescues from different places and I wouldn't trade them for the world. Whether this is really true or not, I feel rescue dogs are very appreciative. It seems as if they know you saved them. To anyone who has doubts about adopting from a shelter or a rescue, please take the time to go in person and meet these dogs. Dogs are very forgiving and they are not all "damaged" like some people think. As I said, I have 4 rescued dogs and they are all wonderful pets."

. Images by Thomas Pitera Photography .

With thanks to Bandit, Chris, Aubrey & Thomas Pitera Photography for sharing their

stunning pet photography session with us as well as their story and experiences.

To see more posts on Itty Bitty & Fluffy featuring Rescue and Adoptions go { here }

To see more posts featuring photos by Thomas Pitera Photography go { here }

For more information and to view Thomas Pitera Photography's super
portfolio of work head on over to www.thomaspiteraphotography.com