Mona: A Pit Bull Rescue Love Story

We work with Karman at Lowes because she helps us create your yardgallerydesigns.com flags and doormats.  She recently visited our office and was super excited to find out just how much we loved dogs.  Karman is passionate about animal rescue and her fur babies, and she shared with us the amazing story of her Pit Bull Mona, and the long and scary path she took before joining Karman’s family.

Karman, we know you already had two dogs, Stitch, a Chihuahua, and Bianca, a French Bulldog when you adopted Mona.  How did she come to be a part of your family? What made you add a dog most people fear into your family? 

One day, I got a call from a friend who knew I had adopted rescues before, and that rescuing dogs was important to me. My friend called to say they had met a dog who was looking for a home and was just days away from being euthanized. The dog had been in and out of shelters for almost a year, and had a backstory too horrible to believe.
Mona was bred to be a bait dog for fighting, but was not aggressive and refused to fight.  Her original owners dropped her off at a high kill shelter.  After discovering she was pregnant, the folks at that shelter were able to get her transferred to another shelter where she gave birth to five healthy puppies. The puppies were quickly adopted, but Mona was not so lucky.

Mona was initially adopted out to a pit bull breeder who didn’t realize she had been fixed, and who returned her to the shelter after only 3 days. The shelter classified Mona as aggressive, and she stayed there for another 3 months, when she was transferred to the Atlantic Rottweiler Rescue and Friends in Mooresville, NC. ARRF’s mission is to rescue, rehabilitate, and re-home abandoned, stray and neglected dogs.  They do not have a shelter and depend on the generosity of foster homes who open their homes and hearts to the rescue dogs.

During Mona’s time at ARRF, she was fostered by a family that had 5 other dogs and absolutely loved her, but just couldn’t permanently take on another dog. Finally, she hit the limit for how long they can foster a dog.  This visit to Pet Smart was her last chance to find a home before she was euthanized.

Did you have any concerns before adopting Mona?

I fell in love with her right away.  Since she had been abused, and had never been around smaller dogs, and there was some concern about how she would react around them. Bianca, the French Bulldog, is very loud and active, she snorts all the time: we didn’t know how Mona would handle it. But from the moment they first got together, Mona became a motherly figure to Bianca, and they became inseparable: they eat, play, and sleep together. They do absolutely everything together.

What was Mona like when you first adopted her?

She was absolutely terrified of everything and everyone.  If something fell on the floor, a door was closed, someone snapped their fingers, or a car door would slam, she would start to whimper or cower in the corner.  She was so scared of all other dogs.  When we would walk, and she would see another dog, she would try to hide behind me or retreat.

I can’t tell you how many times in those first months I felt like I was going to fall over from her pulling. Other dog owners would see that behavior and think she was being aggressive, but I knew she was just scared.  And slowly, through socializing her to other dogs and people, she has really come out of her shell.

What is Mona like now?

If you knew her when I first adopted her, you would not believe this is the same dog. She does still get a little scared when she hears a car door slam… But now, whenever she sees another dog, she wags her tail and wants to play. She loves going on walks, going to the dog park, and meeting new people.  She’s incredibly friendly and outgoing.

What an amazing story of love and determination! Karman saw potential in Mona that no one else would see: she saw a scared dog looking for a little warmth and love. And with an open heart, and a lot of determination, she managed to turn Mona’s fate around.