Names: Spunky (2.5 y/o) & Jack (1.5 y/o)
Family Members: Fiona & Amy, Olivia -dog (6.5 y/o), and Peter - dog (1.5 y/o)
How long have Spunky & Jack been in the family? Spunky since he was 8 weeks old & Jack was adopted 2 months ago.
Professions: Fiona -owns her own company (ROC Associates) and Amy is a Director of Support for CBE Inc)
Location: Marietta, GA.
Nicknames: Spunky: Spunkinator & Spunky Monkey
Jack: Jack Jack & Jackson
5 of the best words/phrases that describe Spunky & Jack:
Spunky:
- Big Baby
- Funny
- Gentle Giant
- Has more Facebook friends then we do
- Loves to cuddle
Jack:
- Happiest boy on earth
- Special needs but has no idea
- Goofy
- Wobbly
- Playful
What makes Spunky & Jack unique? Spunky has great eyesight and loves to watch the rain with me. His favorite show is Pitbulls and Parolees. (the other dogs don't even notice the T.V)
Jack is special needs (still being diagnosed), but essentially his brain doesn't communicate with his feet the way it should, it's slightly delayed.
Time for Spunky's closeup.
Jack on the mooove!
Rescue Stories: Spunky's mother was pulled from Clayton County Animal Shelter by Angel's Among Us and they didn't know she was pregnant. The foster family decided to start a Facebook page as well as a YouTube live feed to get exposure for her. People started watching, including us, and I (Fiona) began volunteering to take care of her while pregnant, as they lived close by and I can work from anywhere. When the puppies were born, there were over 4000 people watching the live feed and Spunky was Sleighbelle's (Mom) first born. We had already been approved to adopt one of the puppies prior to the birth. All of the puppies were pre-adopted and all of the adoptive parents have become close friends. We all maintain the Facebook page (Love Chunk and the Chunklettes) with updates and get the pups together on their birthdays. Spunky came home to much fanfare at 8 weeks old, but I had been looking after the puppies a few days a week since they were 2 days old, watching Mom take care of them until they were more mobile.
Jack has only been with us for 2 months. He was dumped with his mother at Gwinnett County Animal Shelter and BullsEye Rescue pulled them. The shelter pictures were very sad because Mom had terrible mange and Jack's issues makes him drag his toes; they were bloody from the shelter concrete floors. Shortly before this we had to say good-bye to our special needs boxer which was very hard. We wanted to adopt another special needs boy in his honor and fell in love with Jack from the first time we met him. The day that we went to pick him up a rainbow followed us the entire way. When we had our first picture taken with him, there was a double rainbow over head. We thought it was William (our boxer)sending an approving message from the rainbow bridge. Silly but it was certainly a strange sight on a day with no rain in the forecast. We are still trying to diagnose exactly what Jack has with the support of BullsEye Rescue which is amazing because they didn't have to continue his care after we adopted him. They were able to get him into a Univ. of Georgia research program to assist with his diagnosis.
Talk about a before shot. This is Spunky's Mom at the shelter with Spunky in her belly. As Fiona stated " Closest that boy will ever come to being in a shelter"
Jack and his Mom, after being pulled from the shelter.
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Snuggling and welcoming fosters!
What is life like since you rescued Spunky & Jack? Life changing......I (Fiona) moved her from Canada, and there is a dog shortage there due to spay and neuter laws. I had no idea the problems in the US and more specifically the plight of the bully! They are banned in Ontario and so it became more important to highlight MY breed of choice, both Pit Bull and Rescued, once I became more educated in the South!
Photographers Note: This was definitely one of my most entertaining shoots. When I pulled up to Amy and Fiona's house, there were cars everywhere. I thought to myself, maybe they forgot I was coming. As I went to the backyard, there was a party going on. They were celebrating a friends birthday and their backyard and pool were filled with dog rescuers and pit bull fans. Although I am not use to conducting these shoots with an audience, I really enjoyed speaking about the project to everyone and getting to chat with their guests!
Then on top of all that I got to meet these two handsome boys Spunky and Jack. They are both the sweetest pups. Spunky cracked me up because I was warned by Amy and Fiona that he was not a fan of the heat (and it was in the 90's that day), so when we tried to get him to chase a toy and play, he wasn't interested. He just wanted to come up to me while I sat on the ground taking photos and give me some love. Then there is Jack, he was buzzing all over the yard chasing his toys. Since he is a bit wobbly there was a fair amount of crashing as well, but just as is stated above....he doesn't have a care in the world and even though he can be unsteady on his feet with an unusual gate, that big pit bull smile never leaves his face.
I so admire Amy and Fiona and the people out there like them who adopt a special needs dog. Providing these pups with such a wonderful quality of life, giving them the care and love they need. I think we all know that a lot of people would pass them by; then you add pit bull to that equation....not always often a good outcome. It makes me so happy to know that this sweet special needs boy, just like his brother will never know the confines of a shelter again!