By Danielle Rosenfeld (Jan 07 2020)

“It turns out the worst that can happen when you adopt a Pit Bull is they will steal your favorite blanket and your bed and, most definitely, steal your heart.” ~ Danielle

A few months after moving to LA, I had decided it was time to adopt a dog. I had visited a few shelters in my area when my best friend came to visit in January. There was this adorable golden doodle posted on Petfinder at a shelter in North Central LA so we decided to drive over and see it. When I asked the woman at the front desk she told me that doodle had been already been taken to a rescue organization. It had been surrendered to the shelter because it bit the owners child so it would not be available for adoption till it had some more training. I was so bummed because I was only interested in adopting a doodle. I had many friends and family who had already bought doodles from breeders and they were all so great and smart and didn’t shed so that was what I wanted but didn’t want to pay a few thousand dollars for one.

I knew I wanted to adopt. This volunteer at the shelter overheard me asking if they had any other medium size dogs like the doodle available and stepped in. He said “if that’s the size you are looking for I have the perfect dog for you”. And I immediately told him I had no interest in a Pit Bull as I was sure that was what he was going to show me. I knew nothing about Pits other than the stereo types and bad raps from the media, and they shed so it was out of the question. But he persisted and told me I would love this dog and to just meet it.

Of course the shelter volunteer brought out a Pit Bull. I figured the least I could do was spend a few minutes playing with this dog to give it some time out of its pen. We took the dog into a courtyard where it was just us and we could get to know him. Pascal, as he was called at the shelter, was pretty adorable. Right from the start he was playful and licking us and was the perfect medium size dog. The volunteer had spent a lot of time with him and told us he was found chained up under a house but didn’t seem to have been abused, just neglected. He showed us how Pascal wasn’t reactive or aggressive at all and you could easily touch his face and his paws without problem.

After about an hour of playing with him my best friend and I decided I should at least give it a try and take him home. The worst that could happen was it didn’t work out and I bring him back. I couldn’t believe I was adopting a Pit Bull!

Bodhi at California Science Center participating as LARPBO demo dog in the “Dogs! A Science Tail” live exhibit.

The first order of business was an immediate name change before we even left the shelter. Pascal was renamed Bodhi and took his freedom walk out to my car. He was a little timid in the car and my friend sat in the back with him as we drove directly to PetSmart to get him ID tags and give him a bath. His skin was very flaky from the shelter and he had some scars from the chain but otherwise was in good shape. He handled the bath like a champ and after spending a fortune on a bed, crate, food, and toys, we brought him home. He walked right in the door, jumped onto my favorite Pottery Barn blanket on the couch and claimed that spot as his own.

After a week his skin stopped flaking and his coat became soft and shiny. By the second week we had attended our first LARPBO class at the recommendation of a neighbor who also had a Pittie. The next year we celebrated his gotchya day in the rain with our whole LARPBO crew and a few months after that we passed the CGC exam. As an Emotional Support Animal, Bodhi has joined me on numerous cross country flights and loves saying hi to people in the airport.

It’s been almost 2 years since I adopted Bodhi and his favorite spot or “place” in the house is still the left side of the couch with what is now his favorite Pottery Barn blanket. His scars have healed and been covered by white fur which looks like tribal pain against his grey body. And I’m embarrassed to admit that he sleeps in my bed with me every night. It turns out the worst that can happen when you adopt a Pit Bull is they will steal your favorite blanket and your bed and, most definitely, steal your heart.

Follow Bodhi’s adventures on Instagram @bodhifur.