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Tanner, Knox, Charlotte & Cooper - 7/29/17

Name: Tanner (approx. 6 y/o), Knox (5-6 y/o), Charlotte (2 y/o) & Cooper (7 mths old)

Family Members: Anna & Seth (humans); Jack and Pearle (feline siblings); Diamond (canine foster sibling)

How long has Tanner, Knox, Charlotte & Cooper been in the family? Tanner - 3 years, Knox - 2 years, Charlotte - 1 year & Cooper - 4 months

Professions: Anna is a Certified Public Accountant & Seth is an Engineer with an Atlanta-based 3-D printing company

Location: Kennesaw, GA.

Nicknames:

Tanner: Mr. Tanner Buds, Taun Taun (yes, like the Star Wars creature), Beans

Knox: Knoxie Boo, White Dog, Queen Queso, Deborah, Knoxie

Charlotte: Piggy, Pig Pig, Char-Char Binks, Binksie Boo, Binks Binks, Char-lotta, and very, very rarely actually just “Charlotte” : )

Cooper: Coop Coop, Coopa-Troop, Cooper Pooper Pottamus, Cooper Pooper, Pooper

5 of the best words/phrases that describe these four?

Tanner: 1. Eeyore-ish 2. Goofy 3. Loyal 4. Expert on weird & uncomfortable sleeping positions 5. Handsome!

Knox: 1. Total goofball 2. Diva 3. Sassy Pants 4. Needy 5. The Queen of the Castle

Charlotte: 1. Non-stop energy 2. Curious to a fault 3. Snuggler 4.The one with the little dog syndrome (she’s 35 lbs, but the runt of our group) 5. The Athlete

Cooper: 1. Needy 2. The Vocal One 3. Laid Back 4. Mama's Boy 5. Hilariously uncoordinated

What makes these pups unique? Tanner is my “test dog”. Whenever we bring in a new foster, he helps me read the foster’s energy and understand how they will respond to other dogs. He is never reactive, and always even-keeled. He’s the strong, silent type and has incredible patience with people and dogs alike.

When Knox is excited about something, she knows she’s not supposed to run around, jump, or be wild. Instead, she sits perfectly in one spot and does this little dance with her front paws. She can’t sit still, but she’s so set on being obedient. It’s her signature move and always gets me smiling.

For Charlotte it's her tail. When we first got her, she actually had “Happy Tail” syndrome…she basically split open the end of her tail from constantly wagging it against things! Thankfully, we were able to get her fully healed up. Every single person who meets Charlotte comments on her tail because it is ALWAYS wagging and is VERY painful! She’s got some serious muscle behind that wagger!

Finally, with Cooper it's his fur. He has got to be the most strange mix of dog breeds ever. His mother is 100% typical blocky headed, lovable pittie, but his father (unknown) has to be something else. He has all this crazy, curly fur in spots on his body!

Charlotte aka Piggy, holding her favorite namesake toy! (notice tail in motion)

Rescue Stories: Tanner: A friend of mine (Anna) was fostering Tanner, and I stopped by her house to pick her up for a dinner date. I remember walking through the front door, laying eyes on Tanner, and being completely overwhelmed. He was standing silently, with these big, sad eyes while all the other dogs in the house were running around, jumping, and barking. I had to know him. I had to have him.
We don’t know much about Tanner’s history, but the scars on his face, chest, and legs would tell us that it wasn’t great. At first, he was incredibly reserved. He seemed grateful for the warm place to sleep, but he was slow to really trust us. He was sweet to everyone he met, in a sheepish, sad sort of way. I remember sitting on the couch, practically begging him to come sit beside me for the first months after we adopted him. He was heartworm positive when we adopted him, and he didn’t react well to the treatment. So our first months were spent with him feeling sick, confined to a crate on activity restriction, and us struggling to understand what he needed.
Fast forward three years later, and we’ve worked through numerous health issues that were likely due to medical neglect in his previous life. Today, he is happy, healthy, and has finally come out of his shell. He loves to sit with me on the couch and gently lay his head in my lap. He’s goofy, playful, and a wonderful part of our lives. He is such a testament to what consistent dedication and care can do. It literally took years to get to know the real dog underneath all that past hurt and sadness, but the relationship we have today was worth every minute of the wait.

Knox: She was one of the very first pulls with the rescue I devote my volunteer time and resources to, You Lucky Dog Rescue. She was, unfortunately, difficult to place as adopters and fosters became frustrated by some behavior issues she was exhibiting. After being in the rescue system for three whole years, I saw her on the website and decided I wanted to meet her. I wouldn’t say it was an immediate love match; she was pretty wary of Tanner at first, and we weren’t sure how she would warm up. However, after about a week, Seth and I both knew that our “foster” arrangement was quickly becoming a “foster fail” arrangement. She is such an incredibly loving dog, once you get past her initial fears and anxieties. We have learned so much from her. She’s really taught me all we know now about reading dog body language, advocating for an anxious dog, and being the leaders she needs us to be. She is also the way I got connected with You Lucky Dog, which has been such a rewarding and life changing experience. We owe lots of happiness to this girl! It took her a while, but I know she was just waiting on the perfect forever home with us.

Charlotte: Charlotte was found on the side of the road and was picked up by a You Lucky Dog Rescue volunteer. She needed to be transported between vets one day, and Seth volunteered to do the transport. He was smitten. Charlotte was scared, meek, and totally calm and precious for the entire interaction. He came home and asked if we could foster her, and of course I said yes.
Fast forward a few weeks, and we quickly figured out all that meek, quiet behavior was a total front. Charlotte has a TON of energy and is always ready to go. She is such a funny and endearing personality, though! One thing we love about her is that she brings out the playful side in Tanner. With Charlotte around, he acts like a goofy puppy sometimes. We loved the dynamic and knew we had to keep her. Cue foster fail number two. :)

Cooper: Coopers mother, Molly, was pulled from a high kill shelter back in December of 2016 when she was very pregnant. On New Year’s Day, she gave birth to a litter of 15 puppies, 9 of whom survived. Cooper was one of the runts of the litter, and survived thanks to his wonderful foster mom who bottle fed him for the first weeks of his life. We first met Cooper when he was 8 days old, and we never stopped thinking about him. I was completely smitten with mama Molly, and I knew if the puppies grew up with her personality, we would fall for one. I suppose you can fill in the blanks since three months later, we decided to adopt Cooper!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Tanner loves grass. Unfortunately, our yard has almost zero grass (but lots of weeds). One of our favorite things to do is take Tanner to the park to let him bond with his best friend, grass. He loves to roll around on it, rub his face on it, drag his belly on it, and just lay in the grass. He will literally stop in the middle of a walk if he sees a beautiful lawn…he just can’t help himself!

Knox is such a quirky goofball. Anytime we find a way we can let her live that out, we always have so much fun letting her indulge that part of her personality. She is obsessed with plush toys. She doesn’t really want to play with them, but she wants to deconstruct them. And not in the crazy, amped up way you’d think. She very prissily sits down and daintily deconstructs the toy, stitch by stitch, and piece by piece. She never tries to eat any of it, she just wants to make sure she gets it fully de-stuffed. It’s one of our favorite things to watch. She is so funny when she does it!

With Charlotte it's anything to do with water!! Whether it’s a creek, kiddie pool, or just a water hose, she LOVES water. She’s hilarious jumping around, biting the water, and just generally loving life. If she can find a puddle to wallow in, she does.

Cooper loves to play, and he is hilariously uncoordinated and athletic. We get such a kick out of watching him run, jump, and try to keep up with the bigger dogs.

What is life like since you adopted these pups? Tanner is like having a live-in best friend who’s a wonderful listener. He has taught us so much about patience and loyalty. I know our time with him won’t last forever, but I’m so grateful we’ve been able to give him a good life. I sometimes still tear up when I take time to really look at his scars on his face and body. He is so submissive and sweet. I cannot imagine what happened to him in his past life. When we adopted Tanner, Seth and I both knew that the stigma against pitties was real, but we had no idea what we were getting into. We have dealt with so much feedback and so much bias from family, friends, and even strangers. We intended to adopt a dog, but in the process, we’ve become huge pittie advocates. Tanner is an incredible breed ambassador. He’s won the hearts of toddlers, special needs children, family friends with real bias issues, and even neighbors down the street. When people tell me they don’t understand pit bulls or don’t see how we can love them, I challenge them to come spend an afternoon with Tanner. I have yet to see someone who took me up on that who hasn’t been a convert.

Having Knox has totally changed how I view dogs. I knew she had behavior issues in the past, so I was sure to work closely with the person who had helped train her through the rescue to start off on the right track. We learned a TON about running a multi dog household, encountering other dogs on walks, letting strangers approach her, and how to keep her feeling safe and happy. I always thought that having a dog meant that they needed to love everyone, go to the dog park, and be really social to have a happy life. Knox is definitely not a super social dog. She loves her select group of people, and she’s content to observe most of the world at a distance. She taught me that kind of situation is ok. They’re like people, they don’t all have to be extroverts! Now that we understand her personality and how to advocate for her, we have zero issues. She goes on walks, meets new people, and does all kinds of things without problems, but all because we know how to read her and manage the situation in a way that keeps her feeling safe.

Having three dogs wasn’t easy, but we recognized that having Charlotte added something to the family dynamic we didn’t have before. We’ve been much more active in general to keep her busy, which is good for us and for her! She also loves to meet new people, so it’s been fun to have a dog we can take to a restaurant patio or out for a play date. No matter how much energy she may expend during the day and no matter how much she may sometimes be a handful, she still melts my heart every single time she cuddles up next to me at the end of the day. She definitely fills the snuggler role in our house, which the people in the house so needed!

With Cooper, Crazy!! Having three adult dogs and a puppy has proven to be a lot. Potty training has been an adventure since mom and dad have never had a puppy before! All things considered, Cooper is a wonderful puppy. He is very laid back, loves to cuddle, and is the perfect personality for our pack. I can’t wait to see the dog he grows into!

Photographers Note: When I arrived at Anna & Seth's beautiful home, I was greeted by Tanner & Knox. Quick greeting from Knox but Tanner hung out with me while his parents finished getting ready. I received some ear sniffs and a few tentative kisses from Tanner. (there is a short video on our Instagram account of Tanner keeping me company) He is such a sweet boy. Then it was time for all the rest of the pack to come out and greet the stranger. The first thing I was struck by was how well trained all these dogs are, even the 7 month old puppy. Having 4 dogs is not an easy feat and these guys made it look like a piece of cake!

I will also say that Anna & Seth's household is the epitome of "Every dog is an Individual". The way Anna describes them all above shows that. It was so great to see these 4 very different personalities living mostly in harmony (it is 4 dogs, not that I witnessed anything different but I was told otherwise) and very intuitive humans that know what each of them need to thrive. Then there is the notion because all of these dogs look a certain way, they should be a certain way. Look at Cooper....I said to them, " surely he is not a pit mix". Anna's comment was, if we hadn't met him right after he was born and seen his 100% pit bull mamma, we wouldn't have thought so either. Just goes to show you can't always identify a pit bull and why should you even try...they are just dogs!

Lenox - 7/23/17

Name: Lenox - 5 y/o

How long has Lenox been in the family? Summer 2012

Family Members: Ryan

Extended Family: Shannon, Kelly, & Steve Dog Siblings: Olivia, Niko, Bonnie, Mia & Sampson

Profession: Professional Mascot

Location: Braselton, GA.

Nicknames: N/A

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Lenox?

Friendly
Loyal
Gentle
Kind
Loveable

What makes Lenox unique? Lenox loves to do Lure Chasing; however, off-course she is the most endearing, love-bug, snuggler!

Rescue Story: In the summer of 2012, Lenox approached a kind volunteer with Angels Among Us Pet Rescue and she was taken into foster care. My brother and sister-In law learned that Lenox needed a new foster due to her prey drive and love to chase kitties. They immediately offered to relieve the first foster and care for Lenox until she was adopted out.
When I arrived at my brother and sister-In law's house, I was (quite honestly) worried they had taken her in. However, I was educated quickly that the news stories were unfair. I learned that to assume all dogs that looked like her were aggressive/dangerous was simply NOT True! (It was a turning point for me) Lenox was well behaved and became a part of our family quickly. It only took a few adoption events to realize she was meant for me! I rushed home and submitted my application and adopted Lenox. I knew in my heart that Lenox was a special dog.
Many people change the name of their adopted pups - NOT US. Her first foster named her in honor of a dog in Belfast, Ireland (where bully breeds are illegal). Breed Specific Legislation is wrong and the Ireland lawmakers were not giving in easily. Sadly, the innocent Ireland Lennox was put to sleep even though advocates all over the world tried to educate Ireland lawmakers. Another lesson learned for me. I must keep on advocating to prevent those ridiculous laws being implemented here.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Going out for ice cream and Lure chasing. Really just taking her out in public anywhere to let her meet people and have them see she is not a bad dog/breed at all.

What is life like since you rescued Lenox? Great! She is comforting to me. While she is not professionally trained to be a service dog, she is total emotional support for me ; as I have seizures. Lenox is spoiled of course and loving life as well. We are currently working towards applying for her service dog certificatio.

Photographers Note: Ryan chose a beautiful park in Norcross that I had never been to before. It had the most amazing fountain and made a beautiful backdrop for Ryan and Lenox's family photo. Lenox was such a sweet and adorable girl, but it was a hot one that day. We were reaching into the low 90's before 10am. So I felt for her and wanted to move quickly so she wouldn't have to be out in the heat too long. What was really cute, was as the shoot progressed I couldn't get those darn ears to come back up. The photo of her above was the only one where her ears stood up, all the rest it appeared her ears had been lost. (check out her outtakes) She resembled the cutest seal pup like that, but I wanted to be sure we got those cute ears in the air for her website debut!

Ryan mentioned where Lenox's name came from, so I thought I would include a link to one of many articles about Lennox in Belfast, Ireland. RIP sweet boy. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/jun/20/lennox-killed-looking-like-pit-bull

Olive - 7/20/17

Name: Olive - just over 1.5 y/o

How long has Olive been in the family? Since Jan. 25th, 2017

Family Members: Eva

Profession: Financial Analyst by day. Dance instructor by weekends. Haha!

Location: Dunwoody, GA.

Nicknames: Mayhem, Olive Branch, Olive Tree, Olive Oil, Bands, Big Head

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Olive?

Sweet
Extremely Social
Intelligent
Full of Surprises
Resilient

What makes Olive unique? She’s disabled and wears a brace but that doesn’t stop her from exploring and interacting with the world! And the world loves her back. She has an energy that calms down fearful/reactive dogs (at least the ones whose owners are comfortable of letting them meet each other).

Rescue Story: Olive was at a north Georgia shelter days away from being euthanized when Angels Among Us rescued her. She was about a year old and had a broken leg. They think it’s a combination of her having a genetic disorder plus her leg being tangled in something for an extended period of time. Her body dissolved and reabsorbed her metatarsals back into her body causing her to walk on her ankle. Cris, an Angels foster mom gave her loving care and helped her gain some healthy weight for six months until I found her.
I had fostered dogs for another organization for about six months prior and had looked at adoption sites for the past several years but never made the jump. When I came across Olive’s profile through Angels, it was love at first sight! I felt that I had to have her in my life!
The adoption experience was an emotional roller coaster ride. At first, my adoption request was denied because Olive’s a pit mix and my complex doesn’t allow pit bulls. Then out of nowhere, Cris the foster mom called me to gauge my interest in Olive. Next thing I know, I got approval from my complex to have Olive. Cris brought her to my place for a home visit and she has been with me ever since. That was back in January 25, 2017.
We had two good weeks together and then started experiencing behavioral issues, which were rectified soon afterwards, and medical issues because of her leg. But, she’s been a ray of loving sunshine through it all! This girl is the epitome of resilience and happiness!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? I love training with Olive, taking her to dog parks, and cuddle time!
We do tricks, obedience, and physical therapy training at home. She’s also enrolled in Intermediate (Rally) Obedience class. I think she really enjoys doing something and then being rewarded for it, plus she gets to be around other dogs.
Olive’s an extremely social pup so I love seeing the joy she has when we’re at dog parks. Unfortunately, that’s being put on hold as we work out the kinks with a new brace that she just got. Of course, cuddling is one of the many perks of having a pet! I love it when she plops herself on me to cuddle – whether I’m ready to or not! Haha.

What is life like since you rescued Olive? Life has been full of surprises and challenges since Olive and I became a family. Since the relationship is relatively new, we’re still learning about each other and learning to understand and trust a little more each day. We don’t know much about her early life except for being in a shelter at a very young age, to living among a handful of other dogs at her foster mom’s, to being the only fur child ; hopefully, she’s feeling comfortable, protected, and loved.

Photographers Note: I met up with Olive and Eva in the morning during the week at Piedmont Park. It was so quiet at that time and it was just starting to warm up. Ms. Olive came out ready to model, she was so well trained and poised I didn't get a single outtake photo of her. All of the pictures were pretty much perfect. I just needed to make decisions on ear position for the most part. Not to mention the way the sun just shimmered off her beautiful coat, she may be missing her calling as a dog model!

Just like Stew, the previous story, Olive has a disability but you would never know. Nothing slows this girl down, in fact Eva says she has to limit her a bit because she can end up with some soreness and pain from her brace after a particularly active day. It was really heart warming and completely by chance that I was able to meet both of these pups and their Mom's the same week. Just knowing that to many people these two adorable and sweet dogs would have two strikes against them; 1: they are pit mixes 2: they have a disability. Yet these two women didn't even give it a second thought and just fell in love with their dogs and are providing them the best homes, as it should be!

Stewart - 7/19/17

Name: Stewart (Stew) - 7.5 y/o

How long has Stewart been in the family? 5 years

Family Members: Artis - Mom, Extended Family: We have a roommate Brittany K and my next door neighbor/best friend Brittney T., her cat Puppy who Stew also spends a lot of time with when I’m at work.

Profession: GIS Analyst/Manager for an environmental firm

Location: Midtown Atlanta, GA

Nicknames: Stew, Stew-stew, Buddy, Bighead, Goober

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Stew?

Belly-rubs
Extrovert
Loves everyone he meets
Goofy
Walk-aholic

What makes Stew unique? Stew is missing his back left foot but he has never let that stop him from doing everything that other dogs do. Most of the time when people meet him, if they aren’t on his left side, they don’t realize he’s missing a foot initially. He’s such a happy dog despite his handicap and he brings that energy to everyone he meets.

Loves a walk even if it's around the yard!

Rescue Story: I lived in Candler Park when I was in graduate school 5 years ago. I was walking in the neighborhood when I passed a home with dogs in the yard and immediately saw a white and grey pit bull in the front yard. I went up to the side of the fence and he just rolled over for belly-rubs immediately. I couldn’t even reach him through the fence but he was so excited that someone was stopping to say hello to him. I fell in love the second I saw his big head and silly demeanor that was so trusting of me.

I ended up talking to the owner who told me she frequently rescued dogs from the humane society that were about to be put down. She had a relationship with them so they would call her if they had a great dog that nobody was adopting. She got a call a couple weeks prior to me seeing him that there was a great pit bull that everybody kept passing up but all the workers loved him. They nicknamed him “Stumpy” because of his missing foot. I agreed to foster him for a few weeks because I didn’t really have a lot of time or money for a pet at that time. That plan quickly flew out the window though, I brought him home, renamed him Stewart, and the rest is history.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Stew’s most favorite thing in the world is going on walks. If you ask him if he wants to go for a walk, he spins in circles until I get the leash and then he tap dances in place (as i call it) until the leash is on him, then we exit the door. We’ve gone on at least one walk a day (rain or shine) since the day I got him.

What is life like since you rescued Stew? I love that dog to pieces. He is so happy and friendly and everyone who meets him instantly falls in love with him. I’d say his life, and everyone around him has a better life because he’s in it.

Photographers Note: I met up with Artis and Stew, at a past volunteers house. (Penelope - 6/20/15) Penelope's Mom Gabi, mentioned that Stew was the reason she wanted to get a pit bull. He has such an infectious personality, so happy and up for anything. As Artis mentioned above he is missing his back left foot, which you would never know. In fact, Gabi had to keep Penelope inside because Stew has some serious play endurance and she is recovering from a knee injury, apparently they have a tendency to play pretty hard! So when you put his personality, his adorable looks and the fact that a disability means nothing to him, you have a pretty special dog. The best part is that Stew has quite a fan club...all of Artis's friends adore him. I took a photo of Artis, Gabi and Brittany at the end of the photo shoot, which I jokingly called Stew's harem....frankly after meeting Stew, I may be the newest member!

Mari & Drogo - 7/15/17

Names: Mari (approx. 4 y/o) & Drogo (approx. 1 1/2 y/o)

Family Members: Alex & Haley, Cats: Valyria, Taco & Tequila

How long has Mari & Drogo been in the family? Mari has been with us for 2 years and Drogo for about 9 months.

Professions: Alex is a is a full-time student, soon to be a high school history teacher. Haley is an Employee Benefits Consultant.

Location: Marietta, GA

Nicknames: Mari: MarBear, Scary Mari (because she can be a scaredy-cat!), Sweet Mari

Drogo: Drogito & Goofy

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Mari and Drogo?

Mari:

SWEET! She is the sweetest baby ever!
Playful & Active – she loves playing with other pups and running around with her brother.
Skittish – loud noises and new people still scare her sometimes
Butterfly – I say this because she has really transformed since she was originally rescued. While she’s still skittish at times, she has really come out of her shell and learned that most people are kind. She will actually approach new people now which she was too scared to do when we first brought her home.
Piggy – we sometimes say she reminds us of a pig when she eats because she gets so excited about food and eats so fast she snorts!

Drogo:

Goofy
Such a lover! He has no concept of personal space, ha!
All boy!
Clumsy
Strong, but has no idea.

What makes Mari & Drogo unique? Mari’s nose is in the shape of a heart, which is so adorable! When she’s comfortable with a person, she touches them with her nose, it’s almost like she wants to share her heart with them and that is her way of doing it.

Drogo has this look he gives you when he wants something. It’s like the sweetest, saddest face all wrapped into one expression. I can’t quite describe it in words, but Alex and I think it’s hilarious and so precious. We usually mimic this look when we talk about him.

Rescue Story: We had another dog named Lucy, who was a lab-pit mix. She was a very sweet dog, but extremely dominant. She liked other dogs, but was picky about who she let in her circle, so we knew we wanted another dog but knew it had to be just the right fit to get along with our Lucy. I was connected to Neely (Shine A Light's first volunteer) on Facebook through a college friend. Shortly after, Neely brought Mari home as a foster. As soon as I saw Mari’s photos I was in love with her sweet face! Neely’s description of her sounded perfect for our family, so we set up a meet-and-greet with her and Lucy. Needless to say, it went very well! Mari then came to stay for a weekend at our house and Lucy loved every second of it! Lucy was even sad after Mari left, and would lay in the spot where Mari’s crate had been – which was definitely not a normal spot for her!! That was it for us. We decided Mari belonged in our family and we moved forward with the adoption, which was so easy through the Fulton County Animal Shelter. As for her history, she was rescued out of a large dog-fighting operation in Coweta county Georgia. She was one of only a few dogs that were able to be rehabilitated from the rescue. We don’t know too much other than that, but it was clear that she had already had puppies at a very young age and had not been well treated. We are so grateful that Mari was rescued and that she found her way to us. She really is the sweetest pup and is such a perfect addition to our family!

Similar to Mari, we found Drogo (who was named Mark at the time) via Facebook because Neely was fostering him. We had recently lost our dog, Lucy, and Mari had become extremely depressed. We watched our sweet girl go from a dog who was loving life (and food!), to a dog who laid around with the saddest expression all day and would hardly touch her food. It was so sad!! Then enter Drogo. He reminded us of Lucy in his photos, as he was the same coloring (black with a white chest). He seemed to have a very sweet demeanor about him, so we brought him home for the weekend just to play with Mari. He never left! We fell in love and decided he was ours.
We don’t know too much about Drogo’s history. He was found wandering on the side of a busy highway in Atlanta when he was rescued. He doesn’t seem to have been abused or mistreated. He was just a sweet boy who needed a home.

Drogo's first day in his forever home with his new sister!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? I (Haley) probably most enjoy my (almost) daily walks with Mari. It’s usually just me and her, and she gets so excited to go! Our neighbors love her and stop to say hello. She has a few other canine friends along our walking route who will come out to play sometimes. Talk about excitement!! Tails wagging, Mari gets so excited she jumps crazy high in the air when she sees her friends. It’s really funny and I love knowing that she gets so much joy out of it!

Tennis balls. That pretty much sums up Drogo’s obsession in life. Alex is constantly buying him new tennis balls because not only does he like to fetch them, but then he likes to shred them (and I’m pretty sure he eats part of them too). It seems like no matter how diligent we are in picking up all the tennis balls, he always seems to have more stashed away that he brings out. I’ve seen him with FIVE tennis balls in his mouth and he doesn’t seem to think anything of it! He’s pretty obsessed and will play fetch for hours and show no signs of fatigue. Alex spends a lot of time throwing the tennis ball for Drogo and even has a “gun” that shoots them out. Drogo thinks that is the best thing ever!

What is life like since you rescued Mari & Drogo? Life is good. Mari loves napping in the sunshine, playing with her brother, snuggling with her feline siblings, and of course mealtime. She really is the perfect dog (even if she is a little noisy sometimes). I can’t say enough how grateful we are for her and that she was rescued out of an awful situation. It was a bit of process to win her trust in the beginning, but she’s really overcome so many of her fears and is loving life as a family dog!!

A little more messy with Drogo. Drogo is a big boy and is always getting into something. We’re still working to get him fully trained – it’s a process – but he’s getting the hang of it now. Even more than the mess though, there’s a lot more love. If he’s not playing fetch or inhaling a bone, he wants to be IN our laps – like, seriously, maybe even BE our lap. As close as he can get to you, that’s where he wants to be. It’s really sweet….and heavy. Mari is of course so much happier with him around and has even taken a bit of the dominant “big sister” role in the family. They are perfect together and we think Drogo is wonderful for our family.

Photographers Note: I love that Shine a Light gets to be part of these two pups full circle. Both dogs being fostered by our very first volunteer on the project and on top of that I had the opportunity to meet both of these dogs while they were being fostered. Now to see them both so happy in their forever homes, really is something wonderful to witness. As Haley mentioned not much is known of Drogo's past but he was and still is a happy, goofy, loving boy. Mari on the other hand is a complete transformation. When I went to Neely & Joe's (foster family) for their photo shoot, Mari had only been there a short while. She was so shy and unsure of herself, would not come near me at all. She ran to the far reaches of their yard. I had to use my zoom lense to get a few shots of her to put on the Facebook Foster Album. To see her now, it's like night and day. She walked right up to me, tail wagging, let me pet her...we walked by a gentlemen sitting on a bench and she walked right over to him to say Hello! She is just so happy and relaxed.

So often we get invested in dogs that we see on social media through the various rescues and shelters that do a great job of posting them. We may see an update that they have been adopted, but rarely do you get to see after time has passed how they are thriving. So happy we were able to feature this story and see exactly that...their journey full circle!

Nala - 7/15/17

Name: Nala - 4 y/o

How long has Nala been in the family? 3.5 years

Family Members: Jaklyn, Riley - 13 y/o Boxer Mix & Blue - 9 y/o Cane Corso

Profession: Administrative Assistant at Ultimate Software.

Location: Marietta, GA.

Nicknames: Nalabear, Bug, Buggy, Nala Dolla

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Nala?

Goofy
Cuddlebug
Sweet
Shy (without her brothers around)
Hyper

What makes Nala unique? She has the cutest underbite.

Rescue Story: I was at Petco on a Saturday buying dog food for Blue and Riley. I saw that Cherokee Humane Society had dogs up for adoption right outside. I normally pass right by because “I don’t need another dog”, but this time as I was walking by, Nala caught my eye. She was so cute and had an underbite that I couldn’t resist. I picked her up and asked the lady about her. She was only 3 months old and I had always heard that “pit bulls are vicious” and somewhat believed it with all the awful stories in the news. I grew up with dogs and figured I could raise a “good” pit bull. The lady at adoptions told me to take her home for a week and see how she does. The next Saturday, I went back to Petco and signed the adoption papers. 4 years later I can assure you, the stereotypes are not true and I will never adopt a different breed. Pitties are the best!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Hiking, playing outside, chasing her around the house, & playing hide and go seek.

What is life like since you rescued Nala? She fit in right away and I'm not sure what I would do without her. She’s so goofy and has such an awesome personality. She’s spoiled rotten and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Photographers Note: I met Jaklyn through our local pit bull parents group and have been gently nudging her to volunteer for Shine A Light whenever I see her. I mean you just have to look at that cute Nala girl and see why I might want to photograph her and feature her here. I had another photo shoot scheduled in her area, and the week before I sent her an email to see if she was available and thankfully she was and agreed to do it.

As a typical mid July day in Atlanta, it was a hot and humid one. So we decided to do the family shot first before all the subjects got a little too hot. It was an absolute riot to get these 3 dogs to cooperate and once they did it was gold. Riley decided he wanted to stay by me, so I had to walk him up to the porch and get him situated, while Jakyln wrestled with Blue and Nala. Honestly, these sorts of situations are really part of what makes this project so much fun. These pups have no idea why they are being asked to pose like this and look at some woman with a squeaky duck. So all you can do is laugh and live in the moment just like the dogs!

Sarah & Dezee - 7/2/17

Name: Sarah (6 y/o) & Dezee (1 y/o)

Family Members: Rob, Angie, Daughters - Katie (20 y/o) & Autumn (11 y/o) , Woody - Chihuahua/ Boston terrier mix (4 y/o), Cats: Oreo (9 y/o) & Sirus (2 y/o)

How long has Sarah & Dezee been in the family? Sarah has been with us for 6 years and Dezee for 7 months.

Professions: Rob - Diesel Mechanic Angie - Implementation Specialist II with Sprint

Location: Cartersville, GA.

Nicknames: Sarah: Fatty or Sarah Bear, Dezee: Dez or Goober

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Sarah & Dezee?

Sarah:

Selfish
Lapdog
Those Eyes!
Lover
Loves to walk

Dezee:

Goofball
Clumsy
Lover
Chewer
Tug of War King!

What makes Sarah & Dezee unique? Sarah is the most selfish dog, you can not pet anyone else without her barging in between to get her attention!
Dezee is the goofiest, loving, chewer we have met! He chews everything!

Rescue Stories: We rescued Sarah from Angie’s brother, who had a large litter of puppies, so we’ve had her since she was 8 weeks old. Back in 2014, she was accused of attacking a neighbor of ours, was taken and quarantined for 26 days by Bartow Animal Control. She was proven innocent genetically twice, and has been a happy girl ever since! This was the beginning of many wonderful relationships among the pit bull community!
Dezee was a with group of pups dumped at Bartow Animal Control . Poor Paws Rescue, and Dana’s Doghouse pulled the group. Lynda G. fostered 3 of them for a while. We offered to foster Dezee, had him for maybe a day, and decided he had to stay! So we failed pretty quickly! He has made such a wonderful addition to the family!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? We enjoy hiking with the dogs, they enjoy the woods. Neither are very fond of water, so lakes and creeks are out of the question for them, but they love hiking. They all love car rides, and they love all of the Pit Bull Strolls that are schedule in and around Atlanta.

What is life like since you rescued Sarah & Dezee? What is life like since rescuing these guys (and gal)?….eye opening for sure. I'm sure they are in a much better environment than they could have been. We had never been around the breed until Sarah came along. We were a little uneasy around Sarah's Dad, Cole who is much larger than she is. Now we have grown to love the breed so much! No other dog is as loving and eager to please than these guys! Cant imagine life without these guys, and all of the friends we have met along this journey!

Photographers Note: I met up with this family at a beautiful location on Kennesaw Mountain. Both Sarah and Dezee have beautiful markings and Sarah has those amazing eyes, I was really looking forward to taking photos of these two. However, they weren't so keen on the idea. They both did great for the family shot and even for the bow tie shot, but when it came time to do their individual photos, they were just too hot and over having their photo being taken. With Sarah I really wanted to capture those gorgeous eyes that look like marbles, but she didn't want to cooperate until the end, when she came over to the blanket I was sitting on and decided to take a break with a some good rolling. Then I was able to get the photo above!

I did ask Rob and Angie a little more about the story they mention above and Sarah being accused of attacking their neighbor. It's really an unfortunate story, especially because initial reports stated the dog that bit the neighbor was grey in color and Sarah is clearly not. What I found interesting was they swabbed her for DNA and she was not a match to the DNA in the bite. I didn't even know they would do that, so that was eye opening for me. It was like an episode of CSI, just to prove that sweet girl was innocent. A very long and involved process but all worth it in the end and as they said, how they met many in the pit bull community.

Klepto - 7/1/17

Name: Klepto - 11 y/o

How long has Klepto been in the family? Started fostering Klepto
September 27,2016. Officially his "Gotcha" day was December
6,2016.

Family Members: Candace Shae, 13 year old female orange tabby cat named Georgia.
1.5 year old male orange tabby Pit Bull.... Cat I mean cat named Russ. Just don't let him hear you call him the C word.
I foster for Friends to the Forlorn Pit Bull rescue, so at any given time Klepto also has a foster sibling. Right now he is a foster brother to Carmen a mostly white 8m/o female pit-mix (best
guess is with bull terrier) who adores him.

Profession: Nanny

Location: Acworth, GA.

Nicknames: Klep Klep, Kleppy, Mama's Boy, Big Boy

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Klepto:

Joyful
Cuddler/Lap dog
Grateful
Love bug
Handsome

What makes Klepto unique? He genuinely is the most devoted companion a person can have. I believe if he was able to he would wait on me hand and foot. He follows me around with looks of adoration and makes sure he can keep his eyes on me whenever we are together.

Rescue Story: To know how it came to be Klepto, it goes back about 10 years to my
first rescue of my Dixie. I got Dixie with my ex-husband right after we moved in together she was skinny and had been at the Gwinnett shelter a month and was scheduled to be euthanized the day I got her. It was love at first site, I rescued her but she saved me. This red and white pit bull looked at the world with love filled eyes. She went with me everywhere and changed people's minds on what this wonderful breed was about with her gentle demeanor and
happy smile. Through a decade of ups and downs Dixie remained my rock, my baby, my chunky monkey. Always there for me, always full of love and sunshine. Last year in March I finally found the courage to leave a marriage marked by years of physical and mental abuse. As always Dixie was ever present at my side. Then life threw us yet another curve ball, within two weeks my chunky went from behaving, looking healthy and normal to losing half her body weight and not even wanting to lick (her favorite thing to do) anyone. A trip to the vet revealed several organ system failure and they also had to drain a pound and a half of fluid off her chest. The prognosis, I may have 3 weeks or I may have 3 months left with her. It was only a week before I had to make the hardest decision of my life and do what was best for my baby who had always taken care of me. So a month to the day of kicking out my husband, I sat in the vets office surrounded by my mother and sister saying goodbye to my best friend. She was 12 but
the decade I had with her was one of the biggest blessings I've ever had.

I've fostered since the age of 16 and because of Dixie I started about 4 years ago fostering with a Pit Bull rescue in Dallas, GA. called Friends to the Forlorn. I didn't know if I'd ever be ready to have a dog in my life that was mine again but for Dixie I had to continue to help this breed I loved so much. I had just had one of my fosters get adopted when I was checking out the groups page. I read a post about an 11 y/o senior male with separation anxiety
whose owner decided after having him since a puppy that she just no longer wanted him and dumped him at the vet. The vet had done their best to place him to no avail and unless someone could foster then he'd end up at the shelter. Being as I do have two cats (one of
which thinks he is also a pit and has been known to run and tackle my other fosters) it can be difficult bringing an older dog into the house as we do not know their reactions to other animals. But I was willing to give it a shot. In walks Ms. Karen with Klepto. He was
interested in Russ (Pit-Cat), as Russ wasted no time running up to greet him but it was obvious all he wanted in life was to be on my lap and loved on. Klepto came to me with a gigantic almost toothless smile and three bottles of anxiety pills. If I walked out of the room he would pee his crate, he was so anxious. After a couple months work and doing away with the crate all together I was able to wean him off all medications. I knew I was head over heals for this boy. My family adored him, my 5 year old niece says he smiles just for her. In public people are instantly drawn to his unique look, huge grin and happy demeanor. I however was still
battling with myself about foster failing with him. 16 years of fostering, I've never had one that was supposed to be mine. With Klepto the biggest thing I was battling with was the idea of him being 11 and having just lost my 12 y/o. I didn't know if I could survive another loss. But I soon realized if it's one year or ten I was his and he was mine. On December 6 (coincidentally the exact day 11 years later that I adopted my Dixie) I signed the paperwork and Klepto was officially home. My family threw him a puppy shower complete with cake and gifts. The cats even got in on the action.

Making it official! Klepto has a new home!  Photo Cred: Carey Thomason — Making it official! Klepto has a new home! Photo Cred: Carey Thomason

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Klepto's favorite past time is actually just snuggling. When I get home he goes to the couch, wraps one paw around my waist in a hug
and puts his head in my lap and grins. He will stay that way indefinitely if I let him.

What is life like since you rescued Klepto? It's hard to imagine life without Klep, he brings sunshine where ever he goes. We still foster and he teaches all the dogs that come through our house by example. He is patient, tolerant and it's hard to believe he is as old as he is. He goes with me everywhere and opens lines of communication about the breed. He is a shining
example that a rescue dog is not a game of Russian roulette on temperament but rather a gift you give yourself.

Photographers Note: I met Shae and Klepto on a cloudy and humid day at Red Top Mountain State Park. What a wonderful setting for our photo shoot and to top it off, Klepto came dressed in his best 4th of July attire. First of all I was amazed this guy is 11 years old; he was happy go lucky and moving around with ease. So much to sniff and see, he was loving our strolls, while we looked for good spots to take photos. After you get over the fact that he doesn't seem his age, you can then appreciate his good looks. Handsome is definitely the right word for this distinguished gentlemen. His coloring and that one light blue eye, along with his perfect face markings, what a looker. Then he gives you that big ole' goofy grin and you just fall in love with him right there. I had two good options for their family photo, one where he has a more serious expression, very dog model like, and the one above that shows off that great smile. I think you can see why I chose this one! There is nothing better then a big pittie smile.

Gonzo - 6/27/17

Name: Gonzo - approx. 4 1/2 y/o

How long has Gonzo been in the family? Spring of 2013

Family Members: Kelli & Jax- 11 y/o Shepherd- mix. I lost my beloved Bodie (Am Staff mix) in October – he and Gonzo were incredibly bonded and it has been difficult for all of us.

Profession: Occupational Therapist

Location: West Midtown

Nicknames: Gonzilla

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Gonzo?

Eager
Energetic
Snuggler (my little spoon)
Foodie - loves to be near the kitchen when I cook so he can be thrown veggie scraps
Intelligent

What makes Gonzo unique? Gonzo has never met a stranger. He loves people! He gets very excited with visitors and requires us to put dog training on point until he calms and acts like a gentleman.

Rescue Story: I had been fostering dogs for a few years so when neighbors found a stray puppy (5-6 months old) they brought him to me. He was a highly energetic puppy and I had to seek additional training advice on how to work with a puppy like him…beyond the traditional training. At the time, I was fostering through You Lucky Dog Rescue. They agreed to accept Gonzo if I agreed to foster him. I truly had my hands full at the time but he needed a place to stay. I eventually succumbed to Foster Failure and formally adopted him. We were meant to be together.
I have always said Gonzo has been an adventure but, he is truly my favorite adventure.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Gonzo is very athletic and he loves to run, jump, leap for his favorite toy.
I am a big Atlanta Falcons fan and named him after my favorite player (now retired) Tony Gonzalez #88

What is life like since you rescued Gonzo? Gonzo and I have learned a great deal from each other. I need to show him leadership and he has shown me that my state of mind has a great effect on him. If I get flustered or frustrated, it shows in his behavior. I compare it to a dance…we communicate each other’s mental state and physical energy ; we work to be in sync. When we stay in that mutual state, I fall in love all over again.

Photographers Note: I was really excited to meet this sweet boy after I learned he was named after one of my favorite football players as well. Being able to capture him in his Falcons gear was such a treat. Kelli made mention that he has a favorite toy, which is a red plastic bone. Turns out he will do anything for that bone, treats not needed to get this one to pose. Just hold that bone over your head and that is where he is going to look for as long as you have it there!

Dink - 6/17/17

Name: Dink - Approx. 2 y/o

How long has Dink been in the family? 1 year 8 mths.

Family Members: Ken & Lori, Alex (16 y/o) , Dog Siblings: Riley (approx. 8 yrs old), Titan, (approx. 4 yrs old), Roxy, (approx. 9 yrs old).

Profession: Ken - IT, Lori works in ligature resistant hardware for inpatient facilities

Location: Loganville, GA.

Nicknames: We call him Dink!

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Dink?

Adorable
Bubbly
Precious
Inquisitive
Spunky

What makes Dink unique? The head tilt and expression he has when we communicate with him.

Rescue Story: Dink was featured on the Friends to the Forlorn website as Professor Humperdink. Videos of his rescue were on YouTube. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kF1V72F7XN8) This precious little guy had a broken jaw and bite wounds around his neck at approx. 10 weeks old. I immediately knew he had to be a part of this family. Once he went to a foster, I started the adoption process. Since adopting Dink, I met and married Ken. They are terrific together.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? He loves to chase squirrels! He is not fast enough to get one, but he is dedicated to keeping them off the bird feeders. We enjoy taking him to Home Depot, Lowes or any other pet friendly place. He attracts a lot of attention!

What is life like since you rescued Dink? Dink came to me with this wonderful outgoing personality. He brings a smile to all of us on a daily basis.

Photographers Note: You just can't help fall in love with Dink at first sight. With his crooked smile and those soulful eyes. He is just as sweet as can be. Due to his broken jaw, his tongue falls out that side of his mouth when he is hot, which is even more adorable. As soon as I sat on the ground to take some photos, he assumed that it meant he should get in my lap for some cuddles. Lori happen to mention he is the laziest dog and a real couch potato, which became apparent when we tried to get him to run around a bit....it was too hot and just too much work for Dink! Instead we opted for some adorable poses! Lori and Ken, have two other pit mixes at home that we didn't feature because one is a little shy with new people and the other, in her words " is like having a tornado on a string". I thought that was a pretty hilarious description! Also, goes to show how every dog is an individual and have their own "thing".

Milo - 6/11/17

Name: Milo - 4 y/o

How long has Milo been in the family? 9 months

Family Members: Heather & William, 2 Cats, Tex & Paisley

Professions: Heather works as a deaf educator. William is a full time student and works in a bicycle shop.

Location: Stone Mountain, GA

Nicknames: Milo has many nicknames but the most common is Shnookums.

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Milo?

Loving
Charismatic
Clumsy
Carefree
Attention Hog

What makes Milo unique? Milo has a way of capturing the attention of an entire room full of people. Milo loves grabbing your arm with his paw or nudging you with his head until he has been satisfied with the amount of attention you have given him. He cannot go a single second without getting someone to give him some form of attention.

Rescue Story: On a hot summer day, we decided to go the DeKalb County Animal Shelter to look for a dog to rescue. One of our stipulations was to find a dog on the “Urgent List” to help save. On our first visit, we got a chance to meet Milo, along with some other dogs. The only dog that day we felt connected with was Milo, but unfortunately, he was not on the “Urgent List”. So we walked away assuming his great personality would get him swooped up. We had a great deal of traveling to do over the next couple of weeks and while we were out of town we could not stop thinking about his adorable personality. A month later I was scrolling through Facebook and saw Milowas now on the “Urgent List”; excitement rushed over us. We felt it was a sign that he should be ours. William was at work so we would not make it before the end of the day. We decided to go the next morning and meet him again. We went and bought a collar and leash and went to the shelter. We were so excited we arrived 30 minutes before they opened. Upon arriving and playing with him we fell in love. William and I both looked at each other and knew Milo needed to be added to our family. The first 3 or 4 months were tough because Milo was heartworm positive, along with some other health issues and the cats were not excited about having a new sibling. But we have survived and Milo is thriving.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Our favorite past time with Milo is snuggling on the couch every night while we watch T.V and relax.

What is life like since you rescued Milo? Life since we rescued Milo has been amazing. We could not imagine the amount of love that he would bring to our hearts. He is our child. Milo enjoys lots of snuggles from us, has full ownership of the couch and has many human friends that adore him almost as much as we do.

Photographers Note: We met up with Milo and his family at Old Fourth Ward Park. It was a pretty warm and humid day already at 11am. Milo was so excited to be on the adventure and was so sweet, happily greeting me and my sister. He posed like a champ for his bow tie photo, laser focused on the treat his Dad was holding. Did great with the family shot at the first location, second location there were ducks. Real ones, not the little yellow squeaker duck I use to get the dogs to look at me. His focus started to be divided. When we got to his individual shot, he was so hot at this point that getting him to play with his football was out of the question. The best we could do was get to him stand next to it, like a High School student posing for his Senior pictures. Still adorable either way. Poor guy kept looking from me to his parent, as if to say... "are we done? can we get back in the air conditioned car now?" Even as hot as he was, he kept that big pit bull smile the entire time. Thankfully the whole shoot lasted 35 minutes and he was able to gleefully run back to his car to cool off.

Harley - 5/7/17

Name: Harley - 7 months old

How long has Harley been in the family? 3 months

Family Members: Greg & Tara, Older dog sisters - KayLee & Angel, old cat sister - Muppy

Profession: Tara is a preschool special education itinerant teacher for Fulton County Schools. Greg is a stay- at- home dog dad and handyman.

Location: McDonough, GA.

Nicknames: Harley O’Charlie, Harley Parley

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Harley:

Beautiful
Energetic
Smart
Friendly to All
Silly

What makes Harley unique? When Harley gets the zoomies he enjoys doing parkour off of people and furniture.

Rescue Story: Harley was rescued by an old friend’s son who is a police officer. At that time, his name was El Chapo. His name was quickly changed to Harley. My friend contacted me when she heard my soul-dog Sampson had died. Harley was living up in Blue Ridge and in need of a home. My friend sent me a picture and asked if I knew anyone who might be interested (she already knew it would probably be me, that I would fall in love with him). His picture was stunning. At the time, I was out in CA though visiting my family there. I was grieving losing my Sampson and there was just something about Harley’s picture that touched my heart. The only thing standing in the way…we did NOT want the responsibility of a puppy!!!! I spoke to Greg on the phone, sent him the picture and together, we agreed that Harley was meant for us! On Jan.11, one month after the death of my Sampson, Harley came to live with us!!! His foster mom did such a great job of getting him ready for us. He was crate trained, house trained and loved every animal and person he has ever met. Our house is filled with seniors (2 old lady dogs, one is 11 and one is 12, an 18 year old cat and then Greg and myself, both of us in our fifties). So this high energy ball of dynamite needed exercise and stimulation or he would be parkouring all over us and the house!!! We take him on fun walks to the park, play games with him several times a day and take him on play dates. He is a happy gorgeous boy and we are sooooo happy to have him in our family! Everyone involved felt that Harley was sent by an angel to help me get through the grief I was feeling. My friend felt that everything about Harley screamed that he was meant for me, for our family. He is a silly, amazing member of our family!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? We love taking Harley on walks in the park and taking him out to visit his friends for a play date.

What is life like since you rescued Harley? Wow!!! We went from a family of seniors (all of us) to a very high energy puppy. So, busy! I spend most of my time trying to entertain this guy so that he does not tear up our house! We had to make many changes to our life! Even though at times it feels overwhelming to keep up with training and keeping him out of trouble, the love and joy he has brought to this sad house is incredible. He makes us laugh out loud every single day with his antics. He is loving, enjoys giving kisses and loves to be close to his mom and dad.

Photographers Note: I got to meet up with this family at Bud Kelley Park in McDonough. Such a lovely setting, with huge meadows and woods to provide shade when it got a little warm. Harley greeted me, freshly bathed with his fancy collar on, he was ready to go! We took a nice stroll around the park looking for the best settings to take some photos. Harley even got to show me some of his favorite places in the park, like down near the stream. He was such a good boy and definitely a wonderful poser for pictures.

Disco - 5/6/17

Name: Disco - appx 5 years old

How long has Disco been in the family? 4 1/2 years

Family Members: Steve

Profession: Auto Collision repair at Nalley BMW

Location: Atlanta

Nicknames: Just Disco, maybe Disco-boy

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Disco:

Loving
Energetic
Motivated
Resilient
Always wants to be part of everything

What makes Disco unique? He has a very charismatic personality. He wants to love and lick everybody. He loves other dogs and never gets enough play time. He is also very intuitive, seems to know exactly what you are saying. When I first got him he couldn’t even sit, he now knows 10 tricks and is proud to show them off.

Rescue Story: Shortly after the marriage dissolved, which she got 2 other pit bull’s I had previously rescued, I went to DeKalb County Animal Services determined to adopt. I had a list of 5 dogs I saw online to go interview. This was 2012 before Lifeline took over and it was nothing less than horrific in there. Disco was the 1st dog I came across. He was skin and bones and filthy. We went outside to interview and he sat down in English and said “please get me outta here”. He was on the euthanize list to be put down that week if not adopted. Needless to say there was no need to check any other dogs. Disco came home with me and never looked back. He did, however, have to get a bath before coming inside the house. Since, he has never gone to the bathroom in the house, not even once.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Disco must go for a walk daily unless it’s raining. Our favorite is going to Arabia mountain in Lithonia. There usually aren't a lot of people and once we get past the initial area Disco can be off leash. He is more responsive off leash, never going more than 5 to 10 feet from me and he will look back at me, like he is making sure he is going the right way. If I do see another dog he will respond to “Stop” so that I can replace his leash, just in case. Usually turns out to be about 5 to 7 mile hike.

What is life like since you rescued Disco? We pretty much have been inseparable since 2012. He makes me smile everyday. He loves to ride in the truck. He’s been to Nashville, Memphis, Jacksonville and Charlotte. I honestly don’t know what I would do without him.

Photographers Note: I met Steve and Disco at one of Atlanta's Pit Bull walks. I was of course struck by Disco's gorgeous markings and when I learned his name...are you kidding me, how adorable is that? Steve said he named him that because he reminded him of a Disco ball! So of course, I had to recruit them for the project. We met up at Old Fourth Ward park on a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky kind of day! Disco was a great subject, except for when they were posing by the fountain and he felt this was a good time to get some belly rubs. He proceeded to wiggle around on his back for a good 5 minutes while Dad gave him some well deserved belly rubs, then posed for a few shots, then back to the belly rubs. Such a character this sweet boy.

Frankie - 4/29/17

Name: Frankie

How long has Frankie been in your family? It was one year on April 9th.

Family Members: Jamel & Claudia

Professions: Sales and Service

Location: Atlanta, GA. (Castleberry Hill)

Nicknames: Frankie Baby, Mrs. Frankie, Franklin

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Frankie:

Simply Ear-a-istable
Mommas little baby
Ready to Play all day
Will work for treats
Licks are for free

What makes Frankie unique? Her big ears and the mystery of her breed make up.

Rescue Story: We were actually trying to meet a different pup that day. We had been emailing with Fulton County Animal Shelter for two weeks but on our first try to meet the other dog, we were informed that the foster mom had an emergency out of town. So we rescheduled for the following weekend. Once we arrived the volunteer told us that the foster mom wouldn't be able to bring the pup yet again because of a personal problem. Needless to say we were very disappointed but still stayed and looked around at the other dogs. Then it happened, Frankie was just sitting in her crate and looking at us. Once we kneeled down she started to lick our hands and we decided to take her for a walk. It was literally love at first lick :) and we couldn't have been happier in how things played out.
We later found out that Frankie was found abandoned on the streets and brought to the shelter. She was adopted very fast the first time around but had to be brought back to the shelter because her former owner’s apartment policy didn’t permit any pit bull breeds in their community. Hence she was up for adoption again. Considering all the events, the saying “everything does happen for a reason” is an understatement!!!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Cuddling, going to the dog park, going for walks/runs, playing, being greeted after a long day of work.

What is life like since you rescued Frankie? OMG….where to start?? Besides being more active, life has been much brighter and joyful! Even on some difficult days at work, Frankie always lifts up our mood. She reminds us of the bigger picture of what is really important and matters. We couldn't imagine our lives without her and can truly say that she has definitely been a blessing to our family. Most importantly, not just to our family but to our friends as well. One of our good friends decided to rescue a dog after meeting Frankie and hearing all the great stories of
how much more we are loving life with her. Words can hardly express what Frankie means to us and how much we are grateful to have her as our fur baby!!!

Photographers Note: I met Claudia and Jamel a couple years ago through mutual friends. They were looking for a new place to live and my significant other was in real estate. He found them a home and we stayed friends. I remember when they adopted Frankie because we got a text with a photo and that was it. My first comment was, "Look at those ears" and then I said, she is a pit mix! I need to get them to volunteer for Shine A Light! A year later they did!

Frankie is so sweet and adorable. I walked into their loft and was greeted by this beautiful little short stack. Yes of course you notice the ears first, but then you see that beautiful coat and her light eyes. This girl is a model in the making for sure! She proceeded to walk around with her favorite toy cow in her mouth, as if to show off her to me. Had I not been so overwhelmed with the cuteness, I would have gotten a photo of that but I was too busy loving on her! So we had to settle with her and her cow cooling off after walking around the neighborhood. This sweet girl hit the jackpot in her forever home and it was definitely meant to be!

Dusty & Cayenne - 4/21/17

Names: Dusty (7 -ish y/o) & Cayenne (2-ish y/o)

Family Members: Brooke, Mighan (Brooke's Mom) and her hounds, Tiff & Meaux ("cousin dogs")

How long have Dusty & Cayenne been in the family? Dusty was adopted March 2010 and Cayenne was adopted November 2015

Profession: Disabled

Location: Snellville, GA

Nicknames: Dusty: Dust Bunny, Boo-boo, Boo, 'Lil Man

Cayenne: DQ (Drama Queen), Velcro, Silly Girl, Snugglebug

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Dusty & Cayenne:

Dusty:

Loving
Silly
Entertaining
Friendly
“Stealth snuggler” (he very slowly leans toward me until he's practically in my lap, thinking I don't notice)

Cayenne:

Loyal
Loving
Goofy
Eager to please
Super smart/quick learner

What makes Dusty & Cayenne unique? Dusty's mother was a small pittie and his dad was a Chihuahua. He has a lot of the typical Chihuahua personality traits. I joke that he’s a giant Chihuahua. He’s not too bright (tiny Chi brain in a 70 pound body), but he definitely makes up for it with the love he shares. My favorite puppy memory of him was when I woke up in the recliner one morning and he had crawled into my lap during the night. He couldn't have been more than 5 or 6 pounds at the time,very tiny…and when he noticed that I was awake, he started wiggling all over, and I could see his eyes smiling.

Cayenne is excellent at reading (human) facial expressions. I assume that it came from growing up on the streets. She knows happy, sad, angry, disappointed, without a word… all from an expression. When she's done something she shouldn't, I can often just give a look of disappointment and she understands that she messed up. She will slink away, looking back at me with an apologetic look and puts herself into a time-out.

Rescue Stories: I had recently lost my 5 yr old male Am Bully/pittie to lymphoma
and my other dog (Kyah) was lonely. I stumbled across a picture of Dusty on Petfinder and it was love at first sight! I emailed the rescue and went to meet Dusty the following day...yep, definitely love at first sight. He wiggled his tiny butt and tail for probably 30 minutes nonstop! The rescue told me that the mother’s owner surrendered
him and his sister and said that his father was a Chihuahua. It was definitely visible at the time (8 weeks old). Here I was, expecting him to be maybe 40 pounds full grown (he's 70). I’ve always said that he wished himself as big as Kyah. She instantly took over as “mother” to him and was thrilled to have him join the family!

When I had to help my first pittie, Kyah, to The Bridge - she was 13 and in renal failure with severe dementia. (She was my furry soulmate and Dusty’s adopted fur-mom.) Dusty was distraught over the loss, so I went looking on the Fulton County Animal Services website. I kept coming back to a beautiful tiny pittie and asked if she could be
brought to an adoption event that was coming up, so we could do a meet and greet with Dusty. We arranged to meet the dog I was drawn to and the meeting went horribly. The tiny girl wanted nothing to do with Dusty! We met several other dogs as they came out of the transport van. There was no spark with any until the lastone…”Miss Cayenne Pepper”, who was on the shelter’s urgent list. She had been in the shelter for 10 weeks. My mother saw her first and waved the volunteer over to us. (My mother - who was actually against having another pittie, because my brother and his wife were about to have a baby. As sweet as Kyah was, she loved everyone too much. She could never be broken from jumping up on everyone she met, to smother them with kisses!) Cayenne came right over to us and sat beside me on the sidewalk as if she knew who we were. We went for a walk, she and Dusty did the obligatory sniff, then walked side by side, as if they had known each other forever. That was it. She chose us and Dusty was happy with the choice! I believe that somehow Kyah led her to us and she knew she'd be safe and loved unconditionally…even if she ate a couch (or two!), multiple dog beds, took a year to completely housebreak, etc…
A couple of months after adopting her, I reached out to the shelter to find out about her behavior there, since she was so terrified of strangers whenever we went shopping. The only real information I managed to get was that she had been picked up as a stray and had been running with another dog, who they were unable to catch. I did see a video of her on the shelter’s FB page, where one of the male employees was holding her like a baby and she had the biggest smile on her face - so she did trust at least one person before finding us. I have no doubt that she was abused at some point and she may never get past that. It takes her at least 5-6 meetings to get to where she’ll trust anyone.

Cayenne helping to sign her adoption papers.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? For Dusty, spending time in the backyard on a pretty day...chasing squirrels, leaves, anything moving in the yard.

For Cayenne, it's car rides! Since she has an intense fear of strangers, she doesn’t get to go shopping or to dog parks, etc., but she loves to ride in the car and is the best car dog I’ve ever had. She jumps right in the back seat and waits for me to clip her harness in, then sits down facing the window. She doesn't move around at all. Doesn't even make a sound. When we get back home, she patiently waits to be un-clipped from her seat belt and the leash re-attached.

What is life like since you rescued Dusty & Cayenne? Dusty can almost always make me laugh, whether it’s intentional or not. He’s one of the silliest dogs I’ve ever known, making Cayenne the perfect sister for him. Nine months after I got him, my life changed forever, due to a back surgery that failed and left me worse off than I was before. He and Cayenne now take turns on “nurse dog duty” when I’m in too much pain to really get out of bed for any extended period of time. He’s not often allowed to sleep with me because his bed manners are severely lacking - he wants the entire bed, of course. But, when he’s on nurse duty, he’ll just settle in beside me and snuggle. It’s funny how they just “know” when you need them like that. Of course, he was trained by Kyah, who was the best nurse dog ever.

Cayenne, HA! A lot more stress at times (she has severe separation anxiety), but she’s an absolute love bug to her humans. She even adopted the young boy next door as part of her pack and is very protective of him. I’ve had to research a lot about rescued street dog behavior in order to understand her. When I’m at home, she’s never more than a few feet from me. She’s my Velcro dog. I sometimes feel guilty that I’m unable to do as much with her as someone else might, but she chose me and she’s perfectly happy to entertain herself and play with Dusty in the backyard to run off energy. Give her a Jolly Ball and she'll keep herself occupied indefinitely! She also likes to play with her “cousins”, though Tiff is not too wild about her enthusiasm. I wish I was able to do agility with her. I think she'd be perfect for it and would learn it in no time. She has learned a handful of tricks and commands in a matter of minutes.

Photographers note: Brooke had mentioned to me that Cayenne was a little timid with strangers, so I didn't push to hard to win her over initially! She didn't bark at me or anything, would just run away if our proximity got a little to close for her liking. She did take some treats from me gently and by the end of the photo shoot, she would come pretty close while I was sitting on the ground. She even licked my fingers (residual treat goodness) and let me give her a couple scratches before darting away. She actually did really well with me and you could see it in her eyes she wanted to get closer but was still just not sure about this person in her yard. Now Dusty, well I don't think he has ever met a stranger. He was doling out the kisses liberally from the get go!

When I had initially asked Brooke if her Mom and her pups were going to be in the family shot, she wasn't so sure if it was going to work out. When I arrived they had decided to give it a try, which I so appreciated. It was quite an event with some very uncooperative pups, except for Cayenne; look at the perfect pose! Dusty decided he wanted to face his Mom and only show me his backside, Tiff and Meaux were just having none of it. They weren't going to cooperate even if I was holding the best treat on the planet. Brooke and I joked, I would pick the best of the worst of the photos! Needless to say, there was a lot of laughter and probably some frustration from the dog wranglers but sometimes the best photos are the ones less posed!

Blue Ivy - 4/14/17

Name: Blue Ivy - 1 year 3mths old

How long has Blue Ivy been in your family? 1 year

Family Members: Blue Ivy has a big family. Pauline (Mom), then Blue Ivy shares her home with Pauline's brother, Bud, and his fiance, Erica. Their dog, Ellie (an 8 lb Doxie Pin), is Blue Ivy’s best friend! Ivy also spends time at her owner’s boyfriend’s house a couple days a week. His name is Nick and he has a greyhound named Winnie Cooper!

Profession: Art Director

Location: Peachtree Battle

Nicknames: Baby Girl, Ivy, Ivy Badivy, Blue, Allen Ivyson

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Blue Ivy:

What did you eat?
The best napper in the world
Friendly Giant
Cuddlebug
Vocal Yawner

What makes Blue Ivy unique? I’m not sure if this is unique because I know most dogs like to eat everything, BUT Ivy will eat anything and everything. I’ll tell you a list of things that have gone in and out of Ivy’s body!
•   Whole socks – not torn up socks, but intact socks
•   Pieces of blanket
•   Door stopper tips
•   String
•   $10 bill – although I haven’t seen it come out yet

Rescue Story: I love the story of how Blue Ivy came into my life because I believe it was fate! All the signs were in front of me and I followed all of them—straight to Blue Ivy.
I had a sweet, old beagle, named Murphy Lee, who had lived a long and happy life of 16 years. He passed away January 2016. The last months of Murphy’s life were both emotionally and mentally stressful, so not having to take care of a dog seemed nice! I wanted some time to relax and enjoy the freedom of being able to leave the house for more than 4 hours at a time! Plus, I needed some time to mourn the loss of my sweet baby boy.
A couple of months had passed and I still wasn’t sure if I was ready, but my co-worker came to me one day and told me about a litter in her neighborhood of Reynoldstown. I think there were about 8 puppies who needed forever homes.
Signs #1 and #2
They were born on January 13, so around the same time I had to make the hardest decision of my life. They were rescued on March 19, which is my dad’s birthday. Okay, his birthday is March 18, but it’s close.
Every day after my co-worker told me about this cute litter of boxer/pitbull mixes, I would check their Facebook page. Yes! They have a Facebook page dedicated just to these puppies, the Reynoldstown Puppies.
I questioned if I was ready for another dog and of course guilt crossed my mind. How could I replace my baby boy of 16 years with a new puppy?
Sign #3
One day, I was walking over to Whole Foods for lunch and as I was walking up I noticed a couple with a cute puppy outside. I approached the couple and asked if I could pet their puppy. As I was trying to pet the puppy, I realized that I had seen this squirmy little pup before. I thought to myself that this couldn’t be one of the Reynoldstown Puppies. How could a puppy travel all the way from Reynoldstown to the Whole Foods in Buckhead? And what are the chances of me running into one of these puppies on the street? I apprehensively asked the couple if their puppy was one of the Reynoldstown Puppies. Sure enough, the couple had just adopted one of the Reynoldstown Puppies–Mingus! I told them that I was thinking about adopting one of the puppies, as well.

I wasn’t sure if I needed another dog before I saw Mingus, but I took seeing him as a sign. I should at least go and visit the two puppies that are left—Blue Ivy and Beau! I immediately wanted to see Beau because that’s the name of my godson, BUT as soon as I read the description of Blue Ivy, I knew that we were meant to be together. The caption of one of the images of her sleeping on her back with her legs spread wide open read: Blue Ivy loves to get her naps in.
Signs #4 and #5
I scheduled a meet up with the foster mom to see Blue Ivy that week. The day that I was meeting Blue Ivy, my friend had offered me a ticket to see Beyonce in concert! (Blue Ivy is the name of Beyonce's little girl) Another sign! I knew that Blue Ivy was the one, and to top it off, when I took Blue Ivy on a walk with the foster mom we ran into another dog and his name was Murphy. This brought tears to my eyes and I told the foster mom right then and there that I would take her!

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Blue Ivy has only been with us for a year but our favorite pastime is to go to the dog park. Blue Ivy is so friendly with everyone at the park and loves playing and running around with other dogs. Sometimes – actually, all the time – she’s too friendly. The way she greets others is by rolling over on her back and spreading her legs. <shake my head>

What is life like since you rescued Blue Ivy? Life with Ivy has been so amusing! Besides eating everything, she is well-trained and a quick learner! She is sweet, cuddly and friendly to everyone and every dog. I always tell people that I think Murphy, who was a sweet but grumpy dog, brought Ivy to me. I think he knew that his grumpiness stressed me out, so he wanted my life with my next dog to be somewhat easier.

Photographers Note: Blue Ivy's photo shoot took place in a beautiful park in the Buckhead area called Tanyard Creek Park. Its nestled back in the neighborhood and the Beltline cuts right through the middle of it. This park was a great setting for a photo shoot and bonus for Ivy, it had a huge green field for her to race around....and race around she did. Granted trying to take photos of a dog that is running full speed and in a big circle around us, can be challenging. I ended up capturing a lot of her butt exiting the frame. Finally I was able to track ahead of her and capture some joyous play time with this sweet pup. If she was running with a huge stick she found or her favorite toy, there was nothing but joy on this sweet girls face and what's better then that on a sunny Saturday?

Jinx, Tobias & Maya - 4/7/17

Name: Jinx (13 y/o), Tobias (12 y/o) & Maya (2 y/o)

Family Members: Parents: Chris & Beth, Human Siblings: Nick, Devyn, & “Foster son” Destin

How long have Jinx, Tobias & Maya been in the family? Jinx has been with us for 13 years, Tobias for 11 years and Maya for 5 months.

Professions: Chris – Site Manager for Peace Dragon Program in Iraq. Aviation Contractor. Beth – Full time housewife and mother, former real estate agent. Nick – College Student and retail work. Destin – College Student and retail work. Devyn – Student and a handful.

Location: Hiram, GA. (Paulding County)

Nicknames:

Jinx: Jinxy, Jinxy Doo Doo, Do-Dos, Baby Do-Dos, Sha-boot-a-quay

Tobias: BoBo, Tatanka, Beef-a-low, Beef, Eddie, EddieSpaghetti, Special Ed, Eddie BoBo, Tobowsky, Big Boy, Wookie Tookie

Maya: Mia Maya, Mymy, Baby Girl

5 of the best words/phrases that describe these three?

Jinx: 1. Attitude 2. Spoiled 3. Little Girl Complex 4. Whip Tail 5. Stubborn

Tobias: 1. Mama’s Boy 2. Willful 3. Big Baby 4. Intimidating 5. Loving

Maya: 1. Sweet 2. Sassy 3. Trouble 4. Snuggler 5. Instigator

What makes each of these pups unique? When Jinx starts wagging her tail, you better not be in contact with it. It honestly feels like someone is giving you a whipping with a switch. She practically bends herself into a horse-shoe shape when she gets happy and starts to wiggle and wag. Jinx was our alert system when one of our older dogs (Liberty) would have seizures. No matter where you were in the house you could hear Jinx start to whine and growl. Usually when we located her, she would be sitting near Liberty while in full seizure, alerting us that we needed to get to her.

Tobias GRINS. When he is excited and happy, he pulls his lips back and gives this ALL tooth grin, and snorts. When most people first see this, they step back thinking he is going to bite them. Not the case at all. He is a lover, not a fighter. Well, he is a fighter of sorts. Tobias was diagnosed with Lymphoma in February 2016. After one month of Chemotherapy, he went into remission. He finished Chemotherapy in July and is still in remission.

For Maya, it's her ears, OMG her ears show off her personality so much. Plus, she is the most agile dog we have owned. Fantastic jumper, so we are very glad that she doesn’t realize she could clear our 5ft fence.

Rescue Stories: Our vet knew we had a soft spot for the Pit Bull breed. We had assisted with a rescue of an mistreated female pit, and then subsequently brought a male rescue home with us to join the 2 female dogs we had at the time. So….. they called my husband asking if we would foster a pit bull puppy that they had “snuck” out of the Cobb County shelter. (At the time, Cobb County euthanized pit bulls because they did not have the resources to rehome the breed.) My husband agreed, and went to pick Jinx up. She was so small and so cute !! Needless to say, “foster” never happened. At that time we had our adopted male Pit Bull (Goliath), and a female “foundling” Pit Bull/Vizsla mix (Liberty).

For several years, we owned and operated our own business of cleaning out foreclosed properties. One of our workers happened to see Tobias running down the edge of Powder Springs Rd in Marietta. He pulled over and Tobias jumped in his car. He brought the dog to us, because he knew we already owned Pit Bulls, and he thought we could help with this one. Our worker could not keep him, so the dog stayed with us. We tried to find his owners, but no tags, no microchip, and no response to “dog found” postings. So, Tobias joined our pack, bringing our total to 5 dogs at the time.

Tobias, from the streets to a comfy couch.

We had stepped outside our front door to say good bye to our neighbors who had joined us for dinner. As we stood talking in front of our house, Chris spotted a dog just walking down the street. He whistled to the dog, and she hesitantly crossed the ditch and made her way to us. She was very shy, but submissive. She was COVERED in fleas, and had deep scratches on multiple places of her body. She did have on a collar, but there were no tags, and no microchip. She was slightly underweight, scared, and later it was determined that she was full of hookworms. After posting her picture on multiple lost and found sites, with Paulding Animal Control, and shared on Facebook, no one ever came forth to claim her. Chris even walked her twice a day around our area to see if anyone would recognize her. Nothing. We could not believe that someone was not looking for such a sweet, gentle dog. After 1 week, we decided that Maya had found a new home with us.

What is your favorite pastime as family? With Jinx, it's as simple as calling her silly names and watching her wiggle herself into the shape of a bow.

I (Beth) absolutely LOVE to snuggle with Tobias. If he is near me, he wants to be touching me in some way. Tobias will go through anxiety during storms, or going to the vet. If he lays down beside me, I tap out the beat to the song “Tusk” on his chest, and he calms down. He also has a VERY UNIQUE way of expressing himself when he is stressed. He “talks” and actually sounds like Chewbaca from Star Wars. Hence the nickname of Wookie Tookie.

Watching Maya RACE through the yard, jumping up on retaining walls, and then zipping under bushes. Maya is not content to just sit beside you unless she has plenty of room. If space is limited, she will jump into your lap, and lay all 50 lbs across you.

What is life like since you rescued these three pups? It had been a LONG time for us since we raised a puppy, and BOY did this throw our lives into controlled chaos. The only way we could get Jinx to sleep quietly at night, was to put her under the covers of our bed with us. Needless to say, she has been SPOILED ever since. Jinx also has a bit of a Napoleon complex. She has always been the smallest dog of our pack, but she has always had the most attitude. We had to stop giving our dogs chew bones and toys because Jinx wanted to fight everyone over theirs. If possible, she would get them ALL in a pile beside her, and if any of the dogs came over to get theirs back, they would get attitude and teeth. Jinx will forever be a handful, but she is our “baby.”

Never a dull moment when around Tobias. He has no clue how big he is, and he just LOVES people. He snores, he “talks” in his sleep, he has the world’s worst gas. LOL When we first found him, he had no idea how to get up and down stairs. Needless to say, teaching him was quite an experience. When he started down, nothing better be in his way, as braking was not an option. To this day, he still hurries down stairs.

Maya was limited to our basement for the first few months she was with us. She was very rambunctious and Jinx was not too keen on the idea of a “new” pack member. Maya was always with a human, or placed temporarily in her crate when alone. We discovered she has a nasty habit of chewing ANYTHING when she is bored or left alone for even a short amount of time.
The dogs saw each other every day at feeding time and we were extremely careful to make sure there were no traumatic incidents for dogs, as well as the humans. Maya has brought more laughter into our lives with her antics. We have been living with/caring for elder dogs for several years and were used to lazy house dogs. Maya is definitely going to keep us on our toes, and give back some spunk to our “old folks (dogs).”

Photographers Note: Meeting these three pups was such a joy. I was greeted by the grin of Mr. Tobias, the reserved sniff of Ms. Jinx and the puppy energy of baby girl Maya. Such a fun dynamic when you have two seniors, who honestly besides the treats and the attention(very true that Tobias does love the people, such a sweet old man) between shots bestowed upon them by the photographer, they would have much rather been left alone to enjoy their afternoon naps. They stuck with me and did great though. Then in contrast you have the energy of Maya who was ready for anything. When we finished with Jinx and Tobias, they were let in to relax in the shade of the house. Maya then showed me her stuff in the backyard, racing around like a bullet. That 5 foot retaining wall, yep jumped straight up that wall like she had springs in her ankles, stuck the landing perfectly. An agility competition or dock diving or something, needs to be in this very athletic girls future.

There is something about photographing the senior pups. Their bodies may be giving out on them and they may not be as agile as their younger fur sibling, but you see the spark and the spirit of their younger selves in those eyes with every click of the shutter. I always feel pretty lucky that they allow me to see it.

Piper - 4/1/17

Name: Piper - 3 y/o

How long has Piper been in the family? She was with me for our 2-week trial visit from June 3, 2016 through June 17, 2016. She was officially adopted on June 17, 2016. So March 2017, makes 9 amazing months.

Family Members: Carla & Helen (Carla's mother and Piper's grandmother)

Professions: Sr. System Analyst for a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research & rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, multiple sclerosis, spine & chronic pain & other neuromuscular conditions.
Helen, her grandmother, is retired.

Location: Lawrenceville, GA

Nicknames: Pipes. Velvet Princess, Mama

5 of the best words/phrases to describe Piper:

Very Smart
Energetic
Friendly
Love Bug
Snuggle Bug

What makes Piper unique? She LOVES watching DogTV and will perk up and whine when I watch anything “dog” on my laptop. It’s so funny to watch.
She is obsessed with balls and playing fetch – REALLY obsessed.
She wants to eat or chew all of her toys. She has a ‘teaser’ ball that she’s supposed to roll around but she chews on it, instead.
She will go after and try to catch anything that flies near her – especially carpenter bees.
There is a slit in her right ear. This is definitely a conversation starter when we’re out. People always wonder how it happened.

Rescue Story: On April 10, 2016, my other beautiful pit mix, Coco, passed away. She and I were together 10 years. I was devastated, so overwhelmed with sadness. In Alan Wolfelt’s book, “When Your Pet Dies: A Guide to Mourning, Remembering and Healing” he states the following about losing a pet, “You don’t get over it; you learn to live with it. You learn to integrate it into your life and into the fabric of your being.” I honestly didn’t know if there would ever come a day when I would be able to live with the grief and I didn’t think I would be ready to adopt again, for at least one year. One day I started to look at dogs online to see what type of reaction I would have. When I adopted, again, I wanted to make sure I was ready to love wholly, again – that I was ready to give and receive love, again. I wasn’t getting that hopeful, happy feeling while searching until one day I came across Piper’s profile on petfinder.com. After going back to her profile a few times a day for probably 3 or 4 days. I decided I was ready to adopt, again.

For reasons unknown, on July 2015, Piper came to be with Gwinnett County Animal Welfare and Enforcement. In September 2015, she was pulled from GC Animal Control by the amazing BullsEye Rescue, Inc. of Atlanta.

Around the end of May 2016, I submitted my application to BullsEye Rescue to adopt Piper … it was approved. YAAAAY!! The one-on-one greeting Piper and I had went very well, as well as our 2-week trial visit, which, I knew going in was going to go well ... hahahaha! When Piper left BullsEye Rescue to rescue me, I knew we were a match made 'from' heaven. This was confirmed as the days went by. I have an illness that requires I get a lot of rest. When Coco was with me, she would allow me to sleep as long as I needed in the morning. She didn't require that I get up early to take her out ... Piper is the same way.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Only one? Oh my goodness. Well, since I have to choose, I’ll say when it’s chill time/snuggle time. When Piper and I are on the couch and she has her head on my arm. Try to picture the left side of her head on the top part of my right arm and rest of her body stretched out. Almost like an allen wrench … hahaha! This must be very comfortable for her because she sleeps and snores in that position. It’s one of the best feelings in the world. This is when those neurochemicals of love are released.

What is life like since you rescued Piper? Life has been amazing. Life is better with a dog, right? <smile> Well, I went from parenting and loving a dog who had anxiety issues, wasn’t very sociable and did well around other dogs (Coco was rescued in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina) to parenting and loving a dog who isn’t afraid of anything, is extremely sociable and I have to use caution when around other dogs. Coco was a snuggle bug and Piper is, as well. I believe it’s a pittie thing, which is so awesome. Piper was with a foster father before I adopted her where she was loved and cared for. Her transition after being adopted was extremely smooth. Like I stated earlier – we were a match made “from” heaven. Her energy level definitely keeps me on my toes – keeps me moving and I am loving every second, every minute of my time with Piper.

Photographers Note: First thing I will say is there are definite advantages of taking photos of a pup whose Mom is a photographer as well, cause wow can this girl pose! Not to mention, I loved that Carla made a comment about the evening light when we scheduled this session in the evening and boy was she right. Very little editing went into these photos because the lighting was so perfect.

This was such a fun shoot for me, because of course we have Piper the adorable pibble who got to show off her Flirt Pole skills and is quite an athletic girl (which is why I had to have two photos above to showcase that) and the shots of her huge mouth open like a shark, just cracked me up. (check out the outtakes on our Instagram account). There is of course the challenge for the photographer to be able to capture that activity clearly as her movements are very unpredictable with the pole. Then on top of that, I got to spend a nice evening with these two wonderful women. We chatted and laughed, talked about dogs, it was just lovely. Such a wonderful family and you can see how much Piper loves these two women.

Dixie Dew - 4/1/17

Name: Dixie Dew - about 8mths old

How long has Dixie Dew been in the family? About 3 1/2 months

Family Member: Adam

Profession: Real Estate Agent

Location: Peachtree Corners

Nicknames: Dixie, Dixie Doodle, Dixie Doodle Dandy

5 of the best words/phrase that describe Dixie Dew?

Sweet
Loving
Silly
Pretty
Friendly

What makes Dixie unique? I hate to make it all about looks but her markings are so unique that most folks we see want to meet her and some are very surprised when I tell them she is a Pit.

Rescue Story: I was dog sitting for my sisters pit, April for 2 weeks before Christmas and absolutely fell in love. She took her back the day after Christmas and I was heartbroken. I decided I had to get a dog of my own. To tell the truth I wasn’t 100% sure I wanted a pit bull but now I am so very happy I did. I went to 2 shelters and met a bunch of dogs but I just couldn’t find one that I had a connection with like I did with April. A friend’s mother suggested that I check out Atlanta Humane Society and that’s where I met my sweet Dixie Dew. I was drawn to her looks (though I don’t believe you should get a dog just because it’s pretty) and after some basic temperament testing I decided she was going to be mine forever! That ended up being the best decision I’ve ever made.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? Being self-employed I’m able to take her pretty much everywhere I go. Just about every day we go to a park (dog or human) and explore. My favorite thing we do together is go to outdoor shopping centers and just practice meeting strangers. It’s really good training for my dog and I have high hopes that maybe one day we will be able to change someone’s preconceived notions about the breed.

What is life like since you rescued Dixie Dew? Life has been amazing for both of us! We are together pretty much 24/7 and I wouldn’t have it any other way. She truly is my best friend and the light of my life. Being a big tough bearded man my soft side doesn’t come out very often but this dog hits me straight in that soft spot. I really can’t imagine life without her by my side. Since I got her I have begun volunteering with AHS and have high hopes that one day I can make a living helping this amazing breed!

Photographers Note: First of all Dixie, definitely gets the Best Puppy award. She is such a calm and mature girl for her age. She is so well trained for having only been with Adam for a few months. Even when she saw a squirrel or a bird that she wanted to chase, she perked up and maybe veered off, but nothing crazy. Witnessing the bond between these two was really special and watching her run around the dog park with puppy joy; then focus on her Dad when he had her do a few agility pieces right after, was so much fun to observe. I especially love that she likes to be held like a baby (photo evidence above). She just calmly hangs out in her Dad's arms. Love that this little pup is doing her part to be an ambassador for these dogs.

Radar & Piper - 3/10/17

Name: Radar (5 y/o) & Piper (3 y/o)

Family Members: Christina & Brian, Chihuahuas: Emilio (10 y/o), Gabi (7 y/o), Little Miss Birdie Smalls (3 y/o), Foster Pup - June (3 y/o)

How long have Radar and Piper been in the family? Radar was rescued 5 years ago at 8 mths old and Piper was rescued 3 years ago at 12 weeks old.

Professions: Christina: Attorney and Board Member of Laskey's Lucky Ones & Volunteers, Brian: Software Developer

Location: Duluth, GA.

Nicknames: Radar: Buddy Piper: Pipes

5 of the best words/phrases that describe Radar & Piper?

Radar:

Smart
Anxious
Observant
Cuddly
Power-Chewer

Piper:

Goofy
Loving
Lively
Smiley
Outgoing

What makes Radar & Piper unique? Radar's breed mix is pretty spectacular, we did his DNA test, 50% American Staffordshire Terrier, 25% Rat Terrier and 25% mixed breed, he is 30lbs full grown. Piper was born deaf and we’ve trained her on about 12-15 different hand signals.

Rescue Stories: We adopted Radar in January, 2012. At the time we had a dalmatian (he passed away in December, 2012) and two chihuahuas (Gabi and Emilio - both still a part of the family). We were specifically looking for a medium-size dog. We saw Radar's picture online and we drove about an hour to meet him at Petsmart. The rescue told us that he had been pulled from Clayton County Animal Control several days earlier. The chihuahuas (sort of) approved and we decided to take him home. They told us that Radar was a "terrier mix." We both kind of laughed because we knew that was code for "pit bull" mix. We hadn't owned a pittie before and really had no experience with the breed but we didn't have any hesitations. Just for fun, we did Radar's DNA test. He is 50% American Staffordshire Terrier, 25% Rat Terrier (ears!) and 25% mixed toy breeds. He's full grown at 30 lbs. We call him our "Half Staff."

Piper, her mom, and her entire litter were surrendered to animal control when the puppies were only a few days old. The mom was so emaciated that she couldn’t feed them. The puppies had to be bottle-fed. Unfortunately, they all also got Parvo and half of the litter died. Piper’s foster mom did an amazing job of keeping her happy and healthy until we adopted her at 12 weeks old. We saw her picture and story on Facebook and knew that she was supposed to be a part of our family. Our deaf Dalmatian had passed away about 8 months prior and we were happy to open our home to another deaf baby.

What is your favorite pastime as a family? One of the favorite past times of all of our dogs is lounging outside, in the sun, on the deck sofa and daybed. We also enjoy taking our dogs to pack walks.

What is life like since you rescued Radar & Piper? Radar has been a part of our family for five years now. I won't lie, he has been a challenge. We have invested a great deal of time, energy and money into Radar's training. We never thought about giving up on him. He is a family member and we love him dearly. I'm happy to say we've found the perfect training program for him and he is much more well-adjusted and easy to manage. We're so thankful that we rescued him!

We don’t have human kids. Our dogs are a huge and important part of our lives. We love them unconditionally, and they give it right back.

Photographers Note: 6 dogs!! A new Shine A Light family photo record, although I will admit it may be slightly tainted by the fact that 3 of the dogs are easily handled due to their size! It was so much fun meeting this family and their crew. Between Radar's ears (and the goal of getting them to stand up), Piper's very expressive face and June's antics, going through all of their family shots to choose the final had me laughing. Upon our arrival, (my mother was visiting from Michigan and got to join in on the fun) we tried our best to ignore Piper and Radar to give them a chance to relax and get use to strangers being in their house. Thankfully we had Miss Birdie to keep us occupied, such a love that one! After the calming period, Radar is by far more reserved then his younger sister. Piper just wants to give/get love and lots of kisses. Not having a lot of experience with deaf dogs, being able to communicate with her via sign language was pretty special. I especially enjoyed her trick of not looking at you, if she thought the signal was going to be something she didn't want to do, like " No". Smart girl!