Name: Ovie (Ah-vee) - 3 y/o
How long has Ovie been in the family? 5 months
Family Members: Moms: Susan and Ellen; dog brother: Soy Sauce
Profession: Susan is a Digital Product Manager at SunTrust. Ellen is a Lab Architect at HOK.
Location: Avondale Estates, GA
Nicknames: Chunk a Dunk
5 of the best words/phrases that describe Ovie?
- Confident!
- Swagger
- CHUNK
- Antler Hoarder
- Nibbler
What makes Ovie unique? Ovie’s looks are certainly unique. From the moment we saw her picture on the Angels Among Us rescue site we were in love with her stocky body, short little legs, and sweet freckled nose. From Ovie’s rescue pics we thought she was around 30-40 lbs but were shocked to find out that she was 58 lbs. It makes for a great swagger when she walks down the street.
Striking a thoughtful pose.
Rescue Story: We lost our 15 year old pug, Pippi in November 2016 and then lost our 8 year old boxer mix, Kate in June 2017 to lymphoma. After Pippi passed we had gone to PAWS to get another dog and brought home Soy Sauce who is an Australian Cattle Dog mix. He is a fearful dog who had bonded with his sister Kate so when she passed we knew we wanted another dog but decided to take some time to focus on training Soy Sauce and building up his confidence. I saw Ovie’s picture one day on the Angels Among Us Facebook feed and showed it to Ellen. We instantly agreed that we wanted to put in an adoption application for her because we had been looking at pit mixes previously but found that most were too big for our small home. When we met her we knew that she had the confidence we needed to help center Soy Sauce and a feisty but lovable nature that we missed after losing our pug. By looking through her adoption papers we found that Ovie had been in and out of Fulton County Animal Shelter within a 6 month period and it was obvious based on her weight, skin, and ears that she had not been properly cared for. We put her on a limited ingredient diet; followed up on all the medications, ointments, sprays and shampoos for her skin and ears; and she gets a vigorous walk once a day and she is doing great!
Ovie's first day in her forever home!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Ovie would prefer if we sat with her on the couch all day with a toy, deer antler, and blanket at her disposal but we do manage to get her to sit in the sun on our deck while we garden. She just likes to be where we are.
What is life like since you rescued Ovie? We spend a lot of time oohing and aaahing about how cute Ovie is. Her big yawns, her rough kisses, how she nibbles blankets and pillows, how she swaggers when she walks down the street – all of those things are so much fun to discover when you get a new dog. We also have to keep an eye on her because she will get into her brother’s food bowl if he leaves scraps or will try to climb a very steep set of stairs we know she can’t get back down on her own. She is very determined to have things her way but we love that about her.
Photographers Note: The moment that Susan lifted Ovie out of their car, my heart skipped a beat. I mean how can you not fall in love with this girl immediately. If it's not her short legs and stocky sausage body, complete with roles around her back legs when she sits, then it's that adorable grumpy facial expression, with the sweetest little markings on her nose that look like cookie cutter cut outs (one is shaped like a star) that will have you scrambling to join Ovie's fan club. This girl is one of a kind and she hit the jackpot in her new home.
One of the many reasons I love this project is because the term pit bull is generally not in reference to one specific breed. It's used by many as a categorization of physical traits that these dogs have. So what that means for me, is that I get to meet so many truly unique pups who may or may not have big blocky heads, big wide smiles, or a muscular build! Ultimately all that really matters, is that these pups are loved and happy family members and I get to sit behind my lense and bask in their adorable looks, whatever those may be.