Pippy’s Story

Penelope (Pippy) the Pittie

Penelope (aka Pippy) is where our story begins.

During my first volunteer day at the Houston city shelter, I met this sweet, timid girl. She was pancaking to the floor as I took her out to the runs. She would hide between my legs if a dog barked at her. She was scared, she was shut down, but she was perfect. A fellow volunteer told me that she was on the next day’s euthanasia list and I immediately started sobbing. How could this perfect girl be euthanized? I tucked her back into her kennel and told her I would be back for her the next day.

I knew nothing about fostering a dog straight from the shelter, let alone a dog who was high heartworm positive. Pippy taught me a lot - about the shelter system, about the importance of being an advocate for euthanasia-listed dogs, but above all, she taught me about unconditional love. She was confiscated from her former home along with her siblings because she wasn’t being cared for and the owner had too many dogs on the property. Despite whatever hardship she faced, Pippy was nothing short of pure love and sunshine. Every day with her was the best day ever. After she completed heartworm treatment, she, along with her foster brothers, Ollie and Frankie, welcomed a series of fosters through our front door. She taught them the ropes: how to potty outside, when it was play time vs when it was sleep time, being cool in a crate, and just how to be a well-rounded dog.

Pippy is truly the best ambassador of her breed and she was too special to adopt out to just anyone. As fate would have it, Dana’s beloved rescue Cane Corso mix passed away at 11 years old, so a spot opened up in her house. Dana flew down to Houston to spend a few days with Pippy so her departure from my house wouldn’t be too traumatic. Dana rented a mini van and kitted it out to be a cozy castle for Miss P. She drove her from Houston to upstate New York, where Pippy now resides and is the honorary assistant coach for the Colgate hockey team. She is their cheerleader, their mascot, and the best damn ambassador you could ever hope for.

Pippy is why we are doing what we are doing. It’s for other discarded pittie mamas who have heartworm. It’s for the underdog. It’s for the dog that would have otherwise been passed up. We see you, we love you, and we will do our damn best to rescue you.