Name: Clover - 5 y/o
How long has Clover been in the family? We officially adopted Clover on July 6th, 2013, so 3 years.
Family Members: Jennifer & Neil (we're engaged!!!)
Professions: Jennifer works in Marketing for the Arthritis Foundation national headquarters and Neil works in telecommunications as a Relationship Manager.
Location: Atlanta - Reynoldstown neighborhood
Nicknames: Clovey, Clo, C-Lover, Baby Clover ( I could go on....)
5 words/phrases that best describe Clover?
- Gentle
- Opinionated
- Cuddle Monster
- Hungry! She's SO hungry all the time!
- Quiet as a mouse - she didn't bark for weeks after we adopted her.
What makes Clover unique? She is very caring. If one of us is sad or angry she will come up to us and try to distract or comfort us. She has great intuition.
She is also a food vacuum cleaner!
Please Mom, may I have another?
Rescue Story: The day we met Clover for the first time is one of the best days of my life. I (Jennifer) never had a dog growing up but always wanted one. Neil and I had been dating for 5 months when we were at the Edgewood Shopping Center one weekend and came across Lifeline Animal Project's dogs outside of Petco. I wanted to look at the dogs, so we did; and that's when we saw Clover. Neil went over to her and thought she was precious. Clover's foster mom Donna was at the event and came over to tell us all about Clover. Clover was in bad shape when she came to Lifeline. She had no hair and had just had puppies, but none of the puppies were in sight when she was rescued. They suspect she was used for breeding and had multiple litters even though she was only 1.5 years old. Donna asked if we wanted to walk her; we said yes and she opened up Clover's crate. Clover walked out of the crate and laid on her back for a belly rub! That pretty much sums up Clover - she would much rather get belly rubs then walks. Clover's foster mom kept in contact with us and we watched Clover over a weekend while her foster family was out of town. It was a lot of work, but it was worth it and fun. I was ready to be a dog mom. Neil and I decided to adopt Clover and the rest is history.
From Clover's first "walk" with Jennifer & Neil
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We love going hiking. Last year our New Year's resolution was to visit every state park in GA. (turns out there are a lot of state parks!). Clover's favorite park is Red Top Mountain. We also love going to breweries as a family. Clover's been to every brewery in Atlanta that allows dogs.
What is life like since you rescued Clover? For us, life is incredible. Clover brings such joy into our lives its unbelievable. We were happy before too, but Clover brings it to another level. I may have been living under a rock, but before we adopted Clover I had no idea the stigma that pit bull-type dogs have. I didn't know anything about pit bulls - I didn't even know Clover was considered a pit bull! I just saw a dog that needed a home. So my life, my perceptions, my beliefs - a lot of it changed. I quickly learned that being pit bull parents isn't easy but Clover is worth it. She means so much to us.
I think for Clover, she's really grateful to have loving human parents and an extended family around all the time. She's so appreciative of new toys and treats. She's a happy dog!
Photographers Note: Early on a Sunday morning I met Jennifer, Neil and sweet Clover over at Krog Street Market. It was really before anything was open so it was pretty quiet, just a few folks around getting coffee and pastries. That area is such a fun place to take photos, a lot of great back drops to choose from. I really loved that we did their family shot in front of one of my favorite murals in Atlanta. I do have to say that Clover gets the award for fastest photo shoot so far. I think we were done in 25 minutes. If food was present she would hold a pose for a long as we needed! I think the bowtie shot took literally 5 minutes due to her posing being just spot on! It was great to do a shoot at this location as this is one of their morning weekend spots that they frequent, so Clover definitely knew the drill. After we were done and just chatting more about Clover and I was giving her some more love, they were talking about her foster family. It only took a minute before I realized that Clover's fosters were Jes and Donna, who volunteered for Shine A Light with their dogs Oscar and Sula. Their photo shoot was almost exactly a year before Clovers. I love it when we have stories that cross on this project.
I did want to comment on Jennifer's remark related to not knowing about pit bulls and just seeing a dog that needed a home. That statement about a dog just needing a home, is one that I hope this project continues to prove and support. All dogs are individuals and if you find one that captures your heart and that needs a loving home; it shouldn't matter if they have a blocky head, or a stocky build, or a wide mouth. It shouldn't matter if they are labeled as a pit bull or any other bully breed. What matters is that these dogs are living creatures that deserve to be loved and cared for, they deserve a place where they can play, cuddle and smooch on their owners. What matters is a home. Thank you Jennifer and Neil for just seeing a sweet pup that needed a home!