The Day I Met Tiki and My Life Changed Forever
When my wife and I got our first house, the first thing I wanted to do was get a dog. Not only that, but despite my wife’s reluctance, I wanted to get a pit bull – which is common these days, but was considered a little more “extreme” or “dangerous” back over a decade ago.
I wasn’t good with dogs. I grew up with them and had them professionally trained, but they didn’t mind me much as an annoying 10-year-old and the only long-term dog we had in the house bit anyone it could every time she got into the trash can – which was a lot. My strategy as a child when I came home to my dog rummaging through the trash was to just walk past it – staying as far away as possible.
But I saw a story one time in Sports Illustrated about Michael Vick’s dogs and their rescue homes. The dogs looked tough, but they were posed in cute ways and seemed like the perfect dogs. For some reason, that story made me want to be a part of the pit bull story.
Some time after that, my wife and I met Tiki. A year-old reverse brindle pit bull with a quirky, independent personality.
Many of you who used to go on my free public pack walks probably met her. She looked normal enough. She never bit anyone. She didn’t show any aggression. She looked calm and well-behaved. Sometimes she would even help me rehabilitate dogs at appointments.
I wasn’t good with dogs. I grew up with them and had them professionally trained, but they didn’t mind me much as an annoying 10-year-old and the only long-term dog we had in the house bit anyone it could every time she got into the trash can – which was a lot. My strategy as a child when I came home to my dog rummaging through the trash was to just walk past it – staying as far away as possible.
But I saw a story one time in Sports Illustrated about Michael Vick’s dogs and their rescue homes. The dogs looked tough, but they were posed in cute ways and seemed like the perfect dogs. For some reason, that story made me want to be a part of the pit bull story.
Some time after that, my wife and I met Tiki. A year-old reverse brindle pit bull with a quirky, independent personality.
Many of you who used to go on my free public pack walks probably met her. She looked normal enough. She never bit anyone. She didn’t show any aggression. She looked calm and well-behaved. Sometimes she would even help me rehabilitate dogs at appointments.
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