Name/Age: Bane - 3 1/2 y/o & Olive - 9 mths old
Family Members: Becky & Cole, along with cousin Luna (Great Pyrenees) & cousin Abe (Great Dane)
How long have Bane & Olive been in the family? Bane since October 23rd 2016. Olive since September 17th 2019.
Professions: Cole works at ThingTech as an Account Executive in Midtown. I (Becky) work at OxBlue Corporation in Sales Support in West Midtown.
Location: Midtown Atlanta, GA
Nicknames: Bane: Wiggle butt, Bubba, Little Man, Squishy Bub, Pibble Wibble, etc.
Olive: Ollie, Olive Oil, Baby Girl
5 words/phrases that best describe Bane & Olive?
Bane:
Cuddlebug
Unconditional love
Loyal
Goofball
Blockhead
Olive:
Lovable
Cuddlebug
Floppy Ears
Goober Girl
Derby
What makes Bane & Olive unique? Bane thinks he’s a little, furry human. We don’t dare tell him otherwise. Other than her loud snoring, Olive shows affection to everyone she meets whether it be dogs or humans. She loves them all!
Bane & his adorable smile!
Play time for Olive!
Rescue Stories: We rescued him October 23rd 2016 when he was about 7 months old from Fulton County Animal Services. My husband noticed him sitting quietly in the back of a kennel with 5 other pit bulls running around. Bane was the only one who didn't come up to the gate, but when my husband, Cole, knelt down to his level, he wiggled his butt over to him and started giving Cole kisses.
We saw many dogs that day when we were looking to adopt but we didn't find that chemistry until we found Bane. When the staff put Bane (previously Maliki) in the play pen with us, I was sitting down across the pen to see what he would do. He immediately saw me, jumped in my lap, and would not move. He didn't have any interest of being free and outside, he just wanted to love and be loved.
The shelter said that he had previously been rescued, but returned for reasons unbeknownst to us. He had chunks of hair missing and was underweight. He had an upper respiratory infection, so we had to wait until the next day to pick him up. Those were the longest hours of our lives!
When we picked up him, he was so excited he peed all over the floor LOL, but we didn't care. We took him home with us that day and he slept for two days straight being out of the loud shelter. He slept right between my husband and me and hasn't left our bed since. He was 30lbs when we adopted him, and within a few months, he gained almost another 30lbs and got all his hair back (thank you, coconut oil!)
Bane settling in nicely his first night in his forever home!
Cole and I have been thinking about getting Bane a little sister for about a year. I’ll scroll through the Fulton County Animal Shelter website from time to time. When I found Olive’s photo, I immediately went to the shelter. Her background is that she was rescued from a cruelty case and brought in with her mom and sister after being confiscated. When I went to the shelter and they pulled her from her kennel, she didn’t have much interest in being outside with me, but the staff told me she was suffering from an upper respiratory infection so she wasn’t feeling her best. I pulled her into my lap and her tail began to wag. She started licking my face and snuggling into me, making it clear she did not want to leave my lap! Cole came to the shelter and immediately fell in love with her. We took her home the next day to meet her brother Bane. They are the most perfect match and get along better than we could’ve imagined.
Olive bonding quickly with her new brother!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? : Bane travels with us every chance he can. He loves going to new places and meeting new people. It’s really helped him develop socially, but has also opened Cole and me up to a new community of awesome people who also love these sweet dogs.
Well we’ve only had Olive for almost a month (at the time of submission), but we’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching her experience things for the first time. The first time she felt tall grass, she got so excited and started rolling on her back in it!
What is life like since you rescued Bane & Olive? Bane lives to love others, whether it be people or other animals. He’s taught us to be kinder people, have patience, be more open minded, and always approach life with a smile. Not a day goes by where he doesn’t express his love and gratitude to us, and we do our best to show the same to him. He has completely changed our lives and I hope more people will realize how loyal and unconditionally loving pit bulls can be.
Olive has been the perfect little addition to our family. Since we adopted her – her ears have perked up more, she’s come out of her shell, and she’s becoming more and more comfortable every day. You can just tell she’s happy to have a family. It’s heartwarming to see. We thought having two dogs was going to big a tough transition, but she’s made it a joy! Life is amazing with rescue dogs!
Photographers Note: While Becky & I were coordinating timing for Bane’s photo shoot, they adopted Olive. I was so thrilled to be able to have both of these adorable babies featured here. To see the two of them together running around and playing, you would have thought they had been together always. They get a long so well and their play styles match perfectly.(their shared dinosaur featured often in the shots taken) Both of them are so well behaved and loving, plenty of cuddles and kisses given to the photographer during our time together. I was frankly really surprised how much Olive listened to her parents and followed Bane’s lead on everything. First, she is still a puppy but also she hadn’t been with her family for very long. Both of these pups in their forever home, with all the love they need from their parents and a perfect partner in crime in each other.; the definition of a happy ending!