The Angel on My Shoulder

iUniverse, Inc.

Chapter One

When we reached the farm and pulled into the driveway, we were greeted by fifteen adult pit bulls chained to doghouses in the yard, out of reach of each other by just a few feet. They eagerly began inquisitive barking, some of them leaping straight up in the air excitedly against their collars as we rolled to a stop in front of the house. With little knowledge about pit bulls going in, I curiously studied them, amazed at their variety of colors and looks. Cheryl was afraid of dogs and wouldn't leave the car, so I opened the driver's side door and stepped out alone. Even with the din of barking, no one came out to greet us. I approached the side door of the quaint house, sneakers crunching in the snow, zipping my coat and hunching my shoulders to the cold.

As I knocked, I couldn't help but look in the window of the door. To my surprise, I met the eyes of the most beautiful dog I had ever seen. He was standing in the kitchen, watching me with keen intelligence. There was no barking, just a steady stare from curious brown eyes. His body was a deep auburn and his face had the chiseled beauty of a classic pit bull, almost human in its shape, his ears cropped. He stood as still and soundless as air. His gaze stayed on me as a man approached the doorway.

"Hello, there," came a friendly Yankee accent from a big, burly, surprisingly young farmer. As he introduced himself as Wade, I couldn't help but comment on the beauty of the dog inside.

"This is Teddy Bear," Wade said as I stepped into the house. "He isn't one that I've bred, but one I've taken in." He explained that he was also the dog officer in town.

Teddy Bear was not only beautiful, but was extremely friendly, wiggling and rubbing against me as I scratched his back. His tail was docked, which Wade told me was highly unusual and only done because the person who had owned him kept him inside and didn't want him knocking things over. "Normally though," he said, "pit bulls are admired for long, beautiful tails, the longer and more sloping the better."

After our greetings and some small talk, Wade asked me to follow him to the far side of the yard where all the puppy kennels were located. I waved for Cheryl to follow and she finally mustered up enough courage to come. As we meandered through the sea of chained adults, we were sniffed and licked vigorously by any tongue that could reach us. Cheryl and I felt nothing but good intentions from the dogs, and, faced with such a joyful welcome, Cheryl realized that she wasn't even afraid anymore.

I found that I just had to stop and pet these sweet dogs who vied so ardently for our attention. Not one was aggressive in any way and I commented on this fact to Wade. Having not had much experience with the breed other than the horror stories I had read, I had not known what to expect. Wade agreed and told us that, because of their nature and how friendly they were, his dogs had been stolen numerous times. That's why they were chained with thick locks on their collars. The chains were as thick as my forearms and their dragging had removed all of the grass from around each of the 15 doghouses. The dirt left behind was strewn with cow bones as big and as long as my thighs.

Wade stopped at one dog and told us that this was the father of the babies we would be choosing from. His name was Steamer, and he was just as beautiful as Teddy Bear but in different ways. He was a very light vanilla color, with black-rimmed eyes like milk chocolate and the shape of almonds, and a black nose. He was shorter and stockier where Teddy Bear was taller and leaner. His muzzle was shorter and more full with the tip of his nose lifting just a bit. I kneeled in front of him and placed my hand on his massive head to pet him. He couldn't stop licking me as I stroked him. "He's beautiful!" I exclaimed, as his tongue stretched out desperately to reach my face, eyes crossed to meet mine. It made me laugh, such a display of complete love for a total stranger. His head was shaped like that of an elephant, with a deep ridge running down the center surrounded by jaws of pure muscle.

We left Steamer and continued toward the doghouses in the back amidst the pines. As we walked along the path that cut through the snow, Wade began to tell us a little history of the breed and named a few famous pit bulls like the dog in the "Little Rascals" television show and Helen Keller's companion and helper. We approached the kennels of the mother dogs and Wade continued, "As a breeder, I appreciate people like you so much who are interested in my dogs, good family people with whom these dogs deserve to live. It's so hard for me when people of questionable motives come to pick out my dogs. I try to do what I can to discourage them, but ..." He shook his shoulders and put out his hands, palms up, in a sad gesture.

We finally made it, the journey toward our choice nearing its end as we reached the doghouses of the mother pit bulls. We noticed that each mother had her own fenced kennel area, half cement and half dirt. The areas were very neat, clean, and well-kept. Wade stopped at the first house and lifted one side of the top. Inside was a mother dog with many puppies about six weeks old. "These are all taken," Wade said, "but I just wanted to show you."

Inside the house it was roomy and warm, a heating pad covering the floor. Wade said, "I put heating pads in all of the whelping houses during the cold winter months. It just makes me feel better to know the little ones are warm." The mother dog watched carefully as we pet the wriggling mass below us.

A biting wind picked up as Wade took the top off the next house. A mother pit bull came jumping out, laughing the way only a pit bull can. She was a beautiful dark brindle, her shiny black coat lined like a zebra with orange and brown stripes, her feet a dainty white. She was much more feminine and had a very sweet face. Five little lumps were on the heating pad on the floor of the house. "This is Leigha," Wade said, "the mama."

I pet Leigha's head excitedly while leaning over as far as I could, trying to get my first look at those little babies as Wade reached down into the house. Out came his hands, a puppy in each palm. "These are the only two available. I'm keeping the rest from this litter."

We looked in his hands. In his left was a little brindle female, so much like her mother, and in his right was a little light red female with a full black muzzle. Cheryl and I looked them both over very carefully. They were so cute! In all of our planning, we had been drawn to the brindle dogs and had talked over picking out a brindle puppy, but the red one was so beautiful. She had a full black face...