The 4 T's Adventure through Life: Freddy

We moved into our house in July of 2003. By October, we were feeling settled in and were thinking about getting a dog. Tim had some ideas of what kind of dog he wanted, I didn’t. I grew up with dogs and loved dogs, but if we didn’t get one that would be ok with me. I had my cats and they were enough for me to take care of.

Things quickly changed that Saturday in October when I went to Project Linus and a woman named Laura was passing out flyers of a dog she had rescued from a shelter. She had recently rescued a male pit bull who she said was very friendly, but her other dog wasn’t getting along with. She had to find this handsome brindle colored pit bull a home. I took the flyer and thought this dog was so cute with his tongue hanging out. When I got home that day I showed Tim the flyer and said we needed give this cute dog a home. He hesitated a bit because the dog was a pit bull, even though he did look like he was mixed with another breed, he was still a pit bull and they have bad reputations. Tim finally came up with a plan to have the dog for a few days to see how he would work out with us. Laura was so happy and brought Freddy over in the next few days and we had him for a week. In that week, Freddy was a perfect dog. I don’t think he chewed or barked the entire time. Tim and I liked Freddy and thought he would be a great dog for us. We called Laura and told her the good news and she was thrilled that we had decided to keep Freddy. Laura had already taken care of all of Freddy’s shots and had him chipped, so Freddy didn’t cost us a penny. Tim and I were excited to give Freddy a home.

In the days to come Freddy began to feel comfortable in his new home, so he decided he could chew things that he shouldn’t. He chewed the sprinklers, hoses, chairs, basically anything that he could get his mouth on he chewed. Freddy also learned that he could climb up and over the fence that is covered by a bush between our neighbors. He would climb in the bush, over the fence and make his way to our front porch. He never went far or roamed the neighborhood, he would just go sit on the front porch. There were a few times when our neighbor across the street would put Freddy back in our yard. After quite a few times of Freddy escaping we decided to put an invisible electric fence around the perimeter of our yard. We knew when Freddy escaped that he wasn’t looking to get in fights with other dogs or hurt anyone, but as responsible dog owners Tim and I thought it best to go the route of the invisible electric fence. Believe me I have gotten looks from people when we tell them about the fence, some think it’s inhumane, I don't think it is and it gives us piece of mind. Tim and his Dad installed the fence and then we had to train Freddy about his boundaries. That was the hardest part for me. To train the dog you put flags around the perimeter just inside the line and you have to drag the dog near the flags so he hears the warning beeps and then gets shock. I couldn’t watch Freddy get shocked. I think it only took one or two times of Freddy getting shocked that he learned where he could and could not go. The invisible electric fence has worked great for us, Freddy knows his boundaries and is a happy dog.

The following month after getting Freddy, I went to Project Linus and was happy to report to Laura that we loved Freddy, minus his chewing. She asked what we had named Freddy and I looked at her blankly and said we kept the name Freddy. She said I thought you would have changed his name, that was the name I gave him. I told her nope we didn’t change his name. I did think Freddy was a funny name for a dog, but it does fit him.

We didn’t know Freddy’s exact age when we got him, but he was probably around 9 months old. So, Freddy is now around 7 years old. He continues to chew things he is not supposed to and barks at anyone and anything. He loves to bark at the dogs on either side of our house. The barking can be annoying at times, but I know he just wants to play with them. Since we like to get a good nights sleep (without Freddy barking at the raccoons, squirrels, or possums) and so do our neighbors for the past year or so, Freddy has slept in the house chained to the dryer. We have to have him chained because I couldn’t imagine all the things he would chew during the night. There have been a few times where he was able to get the quilts down from the nearby couch and he chewed them. Ugh!! We can’t get too mad at him because he is just so darn cute.

These past years with Freddy have been an adventure. I would say Freddy isn't the most graceful dog and figures out a way to injure himself in the most bizarre ways. While playing with Cooper (Tim's parents golden retriever) Freddy managed to get a blade of grass lodged in his eyeball. We had to take him to the 24 hour vet, who then had to put him under to remove the blade of grass. Another time Freddy was in the garage with Tim and knocked over a glass jar, which broke and then he sniffed it and cut his nose really deep. That was another trip to the 24 hour vet. We may not have paid a penny to get Freddy, but we sure have paid a lot in vet bills.

Freddy has been a great companion to Tim and Trent on their hiking and camping trips. He is always making sure everyone is ok and keeps tabs on where everyone is at. He is such a good doggy.

All in all, I think we made a great choice in giving Freddy a home, we love him so much. Others might think having a pit bull is a bad idea, but I disagree. Pit bulls get their bad reputation from owners who train them to be mean. It's all about how you care for and treat your dog. I am sad when I take Freddy for a walk and people pull their hands in or cross the street as to avoid Freddy. Please, all Freddy is going to do is lick your hand or sniff you. Give Freddy a chance and he will melt your heart like he did mine.

How could you not want to give Freddy a home after seeing this picture.