Name: Mikey - 5.5-ish y/o
Family Member: Jessica
How long has Mikey been in the family? 4 years
Profession: High School Teacher
Location: Sandy Springs, GA
Nicknames: Mikes, Monkey, Mikey-bo-bikey (don’t ask)
5 words/phrases that best describe Mikey?
Friendly
Loving
Well Adjusted
Good looking (we get stopped daily by strangers)
Scaredy Cat (he dislikes fireworks & thunder)
What makes Mikey unique? He appears tough but he is a big baby!!! He is afraid of his own shadow.
LET’S PLAY!!!!!
Rescue Story: I was delivering fundraising items to PAWS for their annual fundraiser and I told Laura (works at the shelter) that I would walk some of the pits. She was excited to introduce me to some of them as she is the one I rescued my other dog (also a pit) from. Laura brought out a few dogs and then at the end, MICHAEL came out!!!! She told me he had failed the police program for being “too soft" but he was gorgeous and I wanted to know more. We set up a date for me to bring my senior alpha girl by to meet him. She was a very picky girl. Later we brought him to my place so I could “FOSTER” him for the summer. He was a handful and I was not used to it since I had a senior pit at home that had become low energy over time. Michael was young (1.5yo) and such a good boy but just wanted to play 24/7. As Michael was learning his new space I was trying to remain calm as the two dogs were bonding & playing rough. Michael needed many walks and needed to learn how to tell me he needed to pee!!!! A few times I got overwhelmed and texted Laura how stressed I was. She suggested she promote him more on their website and my heart sank. At that moment, I KNEW we could not part with Michael! I started calling him Mikey (it was much more fitting). Then I started letting him sleep in bed with us and that was the beginning of our new family. His sister passed away about a year and a half later which was extremely difficult for me, but he was the best medicine. Their bond was unbelievable and I have their photos all over the place so we never forget their love!
Heading off to his foster - then forever home!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Mikey loves to go hiking and to go on long walks. The local pet store is walking distance from the house and Mikey can get to it from any direction! He will 100% pull me towards Pet People on every walk possible. They spoil him, give him treats, he plays with the puzzles on the ground and drinks all the water up that they leave out. He even won Mr. FEBRUARY this past February and had his photo and bio posted for the entire month. Any opportunity to ride in the car is also a plus. Especially if we are riding to Pet People! Ha!
What is life like since you rescued Mikey? My life is more active and eventful with Mikey around. Neighbors (kids) stop by just to say hi to Mikey and it melts my heart. He is basically the mayor of my neighborhood and everyone knows and loves him.
Social Media: !nstagram @Handsomedevil_Mikey
Photographers Note: Mikey is truly a big handsome boy. I mean look at those eyes. He was so excited when I arrived to meet a new friend. After a little settle down period he gleefully showed me his deck. Jessica & Mikey have a gorgeous little oasis back there but with Mikey’s size it was definitely a challenge to be able to capture his happiness and joy in tight quarters!! :) . We made it work and he was such a good boy, showing off all his toys and when it was time to do his photo with his Mom, he posed like a champ. The best part of this shoot was at the end. When we finished, Jessica and I were chatting by the front door and he just went full zoomie mode (video was posted on Instagram Reels the day of the shoot), bouncing off the couch , to the ground, around the table and back up on the coach….over and over again! It was his little celebration for a shoot well done!