Six years ago, a call from Pasco County Animal Services asked if we would consider taking a Dal mix that had just been turned in by a man who was openly sobbing at the desk. The dog had been his baby since he adopted him as a puppy. Due to unforseen problems, the man was now homeless and had no family to help with his dog. He felt his only choice was to turn him into a shelter and pray for the best. I went to the shelter, dreading having to go "to the back" to see all the dogs begging for help with their eyes. So very quickly I glanced at Sid, only to see the sweetest face looking back at me, so calmly sitting with his front legs crossed, saw that he had spots and said OK we'll take him. At that time, there was no shelter vet. So all dogs, even if they were already neutered as Sid was, had to go to a nearby vet to get a certificate saying so. When the day came to pick him up from the vet, I dragged Pat to come with me to get our new rescue. We went and got a new collar for Sid so he could start his new life. As I proudly walked out of the vets office with him, Pat took one look and said "That's not a Dalmatian, that's a red-nosed pit bull." My first thought was "oh geez, what have I done now" knowing all the bad rap about pits and that we probably couldn't adopt him out. But, in for a penny, in for a pound. Off we drove with our "Dal mix". And we all fell in love. Six years later, now 11 years old, our Sidalins (his affectionate name) is still with us and has his best buddy Axel (another story) always at his side.

Sid is living a good life and we go to bed knowing he is safe and always will be. And we get kisses every single day from Sid....it's as if he's telling us how grateful he is. Pit bulls can be truly wonderful dogs if treated right. Please keep speaking out against dog fighting so we can end this torture for these innocent dogs.

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