Name/Age: Liza - 7 y/o & Leo - 4 y/o
Family Members: Mommies: Kelly & Cathy & Kitty Sibling: Henry
How long have Liza & Leo been in the family? Liza has been in the family for 4 years & Leo has been in the family for 2.5 years.
Professions: Kelly- Assistant Principal, Cathy- Director of Quality
Location: East Atlanta, GA
Nicknames: Liza: Liza Bean, Bean, Beannie
Leo: Leo Bug, Bugaboo
Liza
Leo
5 of the best words/phrases that describe Liza & Leo?
Liza:
Pleaser
Loving
Cuddle Bug
Lazy
Loyal
Leo:
Playful
Curious
Affectionate (velcro level)
Calm
Adventurous
What makes Liza & Leo unique? When it is feeding time, Liza tap dances, wiggles her body, and howls. She is such a talker! Leo LOVES stuffed animals. He always needs to have one nearby to cuddle or play with. We have a supply of at least 5 on hand so we have extras when the others need to be washed or get lost or destroyed. He brings them everywhere with him and at least 50% of the pictures we have of Leo include one of his “stuffies”. Leo also has an affinity for curling up behind us on the chair when we work or weaseling his way behind our backs on the couch. It’s so odd but completely endearing & hilarious!
The happiest smiling land seal!
Leo with his stuffie!
Rescue Stories: Liza was found on the streets in East Point. She was hungry and small. I was volunteering for Laskey’s Lucky Ones and Volunteers working with a dog at training class one evening. The dog was horribly stubborn and I was really struggling with getting him to do anything (it was quite embarrassing!). One of Laskey’s volunteers pointed to a dog at the other end of the room. She told me her name was Liza and she was the best behaved, well trained dog in the room and asked me to go work with her. I glanced over and saw a brindle pit bull. I did not have any experience with pit bulls and had honestly never even been around one. I wasn’t scared, but I was a tad apprehensive and intimidated; she looked scared and was so muscular! When I went over to Liza, she was sitting down. She looked up at me for a second and then bowed her head and her ears went back. She seemed pretty scared but her eyes were SO soft and soulful. I knelt down to pet her and she placed her head on my shoulder and then just nestled her head into my neck. I completely melted. She then went on to completely impress me throughout training class. She already knew sit, lay down, stay, and place. Liza wasn’t only sweet, she was smart and very obedient. My partner, Cathy, was traveling for work at the time and I called her as soon as I got home. I told her about Liza and how perfect she was. Cathy wasn’t on board right away- she was a fan of small dogs and we currently already had two senior dogs. After a week of begging and pleading, I talked her into going to adoption day one Saturday. Sweet Liza was terrified and was trembling in her crate. One of the volunteers took her out and brought her inside the store for us. I sat on the floor and Liza immediately sat between my legs and laid her head on my shoulder. The rest is history!
Liza and Kelly at an adoption event……the rest is history!
Leo was found on the streets completely emaciated. The pictures we saw of him when he was brought to the shelter are just heartbreaking. He was in the shelter for 6 months before Laskey’s Lucky Ones and Volunteers were contacted directly by a worker from the shelter. They told them they had the sweetest dog that constantly got overlooked by potential adopters. LLOV went to meet Leo and fell in love with him. They were able to find a foster so they could pull him from the shelter. We were at a brewery one weekend with our dog Liza and ran into a couple who volunteered for LLOV and had worked with training Liza. They told us about another dog they were training for LLOV named Leo and how he was so sweet and relaxed. We looked at some pictures and asked more questions about Leo before saying goodbye. Cathy and I discussed possibly fostering Leo on our way home that evening. We already had Liza and a senior dog who was very fragile and probably didn’t have too many months left. We thought Leo would be a good companion for Liza and would help her with the loss of her older companion. We fostered Leo for 3 months and officially adopted him after saying goodbye to our beloved senior dog. Leo and Liza had bonded immediately and watching them play and cuddle together sealed the deal for us. Leo didn’t seem to have much personality at first and he really didn’t know how to cuddle or be affectionate. It took about 6 months for his personality to really come out and now he is the happiest, goofiest, velcro dog you’ll ever meet. We love him to pieces!
Adoption day for Leo and the family is complete!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Lounging on patios, leisurely walks and hikes, sunbathing in the backyard, and their favorite: cuddling and sleeping!
What is life like since you rescued Liza & Leo? Leo and Liza are living their best lives! They have a big fenced in yard to play and lounge in the sun. Both have the run of the house and although they have dog beds throughout, they always prefer the human furniture so they can receive endless cuddles and love. They sleep with their mommies in bed each night, have an abundance of toys and treats, and get spoiled rotten by every adult and child who come to visit. They love our annual road trip to upstate New York each summer because they have nieces and nephews who dote on them constantly. We are excited to take them to the beach for the first time next month!
Liza and Leo have been such a blessing to our life. They bring us so much happiness and love! Even though they are 50 pounds, that doesn’t stop them from being a lap dog. Their sweet, loveable, and gentle disposition have made us pit bull owners for life. Unfortunately, there is a stigma associated with pit bulls; however, Leo and Liza have helped to change the opinions of many of our friends and family members. They’ve witnessed first-hand how wonderful they are with children and how their main goal in life is simply to please and just be loved. We are grateful every day that these two loveable goofballs came into our lives and look forward to many happy years of spoiling the rotten!
Photographers Note: What a fantastic family to kick things off after our short summer break. These two pups are a bit like a tale of two pibbles. You have Liza who is a little more reserved and shy, but also a huge love bug after you give her a minute. Then there is Leo who has never met a stranger and to be honest should probably have a professional modeling contract because this boy can pose! He also likes to show off a little with his toys and happily bound around. They have different personalities but their dynamic is perfect. You can see their bond immediately with each other and how much they adore their Mom’s. Now sweet Liza is not a fan of the camera, in fact she was quite happy to come sit with me on my blanket and roll over for some belly rubs, per my comment about his modeling contract you can probably guess what I am going to say about Leo the poser. I mean I took a lot of shots for his bow tie picture and about 75% were exactly the same! These two had me cracking me the whole time.
I often ask people who express concern about pit bulls, “Have you met one?” Then I say,” it only takes one to change your mind.” Liza was that dog for Kelly & Cathy! Now they are pit bull lovers for life!