The story of Mettle
Mettle:
Courage and fortitude; spirit: Inherent quality of character and temperament
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Mettle's story is one of courage and hope, and people pulling together to make a difference in the life of a little dog who had known nothing but abuse and hardships. To this day we are not sure what kept bringing us back to Mettle's cage the first time we saw him at the shelter. It was one of those days where half the shelter was filed with abused PitBulls, covered with wounds and scars, laying down hopelessly in their cage, waiting for their final day. Just another typical day at the shelter, and Mettle was just one miserable dog among so many others.... Maybe it is because we had been on the look out for a small PitBull, and Mettle was small... Maybe it is because Mettle reminded us of Chili, another little red dog we had tried to save a few months before but were not able to.... But there was more about Mettle that made it impossible for us to walk away when we saw him... Something in his eyes... |
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At first look, there was nothing special about Mettle. Quite frankly, he was just a very ordinary looking and underweight little PitBull, with deep infected wounds on the head, fly bites on the ears, too many scars to count, and what first seemed like a blank look in the eyes... But that blank look pulled us back to his cage... First thing we knew, we had him out for an evaluation... Mettle had won our heart already, and my husband wanted to move mountains to get him out of there. I shared our ordeal with PBRC group and one of the volunteers decided to try to convince a rescuer she knows in WA to take him. This rescuer had been looking for a small PitBull and even though Mettle was bigger than the dog she was looking for, she agreed to give him a chance. This lady, Diane Jessup, is a reputable dog trainer and writer, known across the country for her work with APBTs. She has written a few PitBull related books, including the famous "The dog who spoke with Gods", the story of a PitBull very much like Mettle. Our little guy could not have found a better caretaker... We were so excited...! Mettle was treated for infection, neutered, had a broken tooth repaired, and was bailed out of the shelter to come stay with us until he would be strong enough to fly to Seattle. |
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His behavior amazed us. This brave little guy who obliviously had never known love in his life was simply adorable with everyone. He was soaking up all the attention he could get and making great efforts in becoming a normal dog. He loved it! Everyday he was having a bigger smile in the face, and his eyes were getting brighter and brighter. Mettle learning life can be great | Looking better everyday He gained a few pounds and we discovered that he had a very well structured body. This little boy was showing a lot of promise and everyone was very happy by the great progress he was making. After a very difficult week finding him a flight (he was turned down by "Continental" for being a PitBull), we finally put him on a USAirways flight to Seattle where he was greeted by his new foster mom who liked him right away. Mettle's story is far from finished. He will now enter Diane's Jessup training program where he will learn a skill "of his choice" such as weight pulling, agility, advance obedience, or maybe just being a family companion, and he will be adopted out to a good home when he is ready. Update (10/16/01) - Mettle was adopted!
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More Pictures of Mettle - Click on image to see larger picture
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