Meet Simon, The Pit Bull with The World’s Best Eyebrows and His Dedicated Foster Parents

While many people look at shelter websites only when they’re looking to get a companion animal for themselves, there are others who will look at these sites frequently to lend a hand as a foster parent. These foster homes become a place for pups to escape euthanasia on their quest to find forever homes. 

A woman by the name of Stephanie is one of these people. After successfully finding a family for her first foster dog, Kane, Stephanie decided to try the endeavor again. As she was scrolling through the Secondhand Hounds shelter website, one particular dog caught her eye: a Pit Bull with incredibly expressive and bold, black eyebrows. This goofy-looking pup was so uniquely adorable, Stephanie and her friend Kristy decided to co-foster him. 

They went and picked him up, ushering him into a new chapter of life. Considering all of the wrongful stereotypes against Pit Bulls and the fact that they sadly have a 93 percent euthanasia rate at shelters, this kind act was the difference between life and death for this pup.

This is Simon, likely one of the most unique Pitties you have ever seen.

Simon is a very lucky pup who was a part of a litter of 13 that escaped euthanasia in the nick of time when he was picked up by Secondhand Hounds, along with the rest of his family.

Stephanie and Kristy aren’t Simon’s first parents. This adorable pup was returned by his former adopted family because of housing complications. 
Since his parents spoke a different language, Simon arrived at Stephanie’s home unable to understand basic commands or his name in English.
However, slowly but surely, Simon was able to pick up some of these commands and started getting along swimmingly with Stephanie’s other dogs.

Unfortunately, when Simon arrived at Stephanie’s house, he began coughing. After the sickness was diagnosed as kennel cough, Stephanie knew that getting him adopted would take a little longer than she anticipated. He would have to stay in quarantine for a few weeks.

Since all Simon had learned about life was from within a kennel, he didn’t have many house manners. He’d jump onto tables, steal food from counters, and barked at anything he saw outside.

A few applications were submitted to adopt Simon, but none of them were a right fit. Eventually, Stephanie decided to adopt Simon herself!

Now, Simon is getting better at behaving and even participates in dock diving, a sport where dogs get to jump, swim, and play in water and then are scored based on their jumps.

Simon loves this activity immensely and spectators always recognize the “dog with the eyebrows.”

Stephanie knew that handling and training Simon would be a big project but after fostering him for several weeks, her love for him outweighed all of the work that lay ahead of her.

It can be extremely easy to see a difficult-to-manage dog and deem them as “too big of a burden” to welcome into your home. However, dogs are just like children. Just like it would be wrong to go into an adoption agency and try to pick and choose the perfect human child, it is wrong to go through a kennel and completely ignore all of the dogs with behavioral imperfections. 

Simon may have started off as a somewhat unruly dog who did not know how to follow commands and did not know any manners. However, as Stephanie proves, with a little patience and a whole lot of love, any dog can be turned into a wonderful companion animal. Not to mention, Simon has become an unofficial ambassador for Pit Bulls and illustrates that this breed of dog is just as loving and playful as any other dog. 

Simon’s adorable face allows people to see past all of the negative stereotypes this breed has and see Simon for who he really is, just another dog who wants love and has tons of it to give in return. 

FOLLOW US!

Secondhand Hounds Give Sick Dogs the Comfort and Care They Need to Live Out Their Last Days with Dignity

Some dogs enter the shelter system happy and healthy. Others have serious medical problems that make it more difficult for them to find homes. When a dog has a terminal illness, the volunteers at Secondhand Hounds’ hospice program are there to help. They give sick dogs the comfort and care they need to live out their last days with dignity.

Secondhand Hounds is an animal shelter based out of the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. It does what a lot of other animal shelters do: find forever homes for dogs and other companion critters. What makes Secondhand Hounds truly special, however, is its hospice program. Volunteers at the nonprofit take in very sick dogs — and a handful of cats — and provide them with love and care.

Secondhand Hounds was founded in 2009, and as of 2016, it has saved over 10,000 animals. The hospice program began in 2015, and around 20 dogs receive care through it at any one time. Volunteers look after the animals in their own homes, while the shelter provides financial support and medical care.

Secondhand Hounds’ hospice program doesn’t try to stave off the inevitable, but it provides solace and love for creatures that might otherwise suffer. Pets with chronic illnesses are more difficult to place, and when the illness is terminal, they may otherwise wind up spending their last moments alone in a shelter. By giving these critters care at home, the quality of their lives improves drastically.

For example, Carol Marple’s furry friend, Bella Boo, arrived at the shelter in April 2015. Bella Boo wasn’t expected to stay for long, but as of July 2016, she is still alive and kicking. In an interview with the Star Tribune, Marple stated, “She seems to know that she’s safe, and she’s enjoying life.” 

Sheridan is another example of a terminally ill dog who benefited from the love and care of friendly humans. When Sheridan came down with canine osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer, Sheridan’s humans decided to give him the time of his life. They took him out on epic adventures, ensuring he would live out the rest of his life as happily as could be. You can hear all about it in this post celebrating his epic last days.

FOLLOW US!