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This post was submitted to heighten awareness about animal shelter adoption. Adopt a pet today!

This story comes to us from Dan of the Dog Guide.

A smiling Reef

Reef came into my life in June of 2001.  I was doing some work at a shelter that catered mainly to Bull breeds.  These were strong dogs, which without direction, could be deemed unadoptable.  I spent my time there working with the “level 3” dogs.  These were the animals that were not allowed to leave the shelter to go for walks.  They could be brought up to the rooftop run for exercise and training purposes, but were generally too unruly or had too many behavioral issues for exposure to the general public.

Reef’s mother and siblings came into the shelter that June in rough shape.  Her mother was a seizure from a dog fighting ring and had obviously been used as a breeding dog.  She was emaciated and her young pups had to be removed from her as she didn’t have the strength or body mass to care for them any more.  The puppies were wiggly masses of black and white.  They had wormy bellies and were caked in filth. I knew as soon as I saw her that Reef was coming home with me.  And she did- that very night.

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Terriers were bred from their very beginnings to perform services. In Great Britain that often took the form of breeding programs to produce a dog that would hunt fox, chase badgers or kill rats. While those activities still take place, the average modern terrier’s working life has changed a great deal.

In many instances, their role is simply that of a watchdog. Many, as diverse as the Staffordshire Pit Bull Terrier or the Fox Terrier perform that function extremely well. Territorial and loyal to the family they bond with early in life, they will guard a home and alert at the first sound of a stranger.

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