Pebbles the Pit Bull puppy came into the house as a foster about a month-and-a-half ago and immediately took over.
Scratchy and Touchie, her foster brothers, let the tiny girl walk all over them — taking their treats, their beds, even their mom, rescuer Ann-Marie Johnson.
Pebbles naps all over them, too.
“The most demanding item would be snuggle time,” says Ann-Marie.
Pebbles is from a litter of puppies born at a Virginia homeless camp, where Ann-Marie helps residents take care of their animals — getting them food, veterinary care, leashes, and so much more, to help these families stay healthy and safe together.
She’s one of a couple dozen dogs Ann-Marie has brought home over the years on a temporary basis — dogs who need a soft place to land for a spell before they’re ready to be adopted.
Scratchy and Touchie are the permanent canines and have some tough stories of their own.
Scratchy was found in a dumpster in 2012, in a plastic-wrapped crate, along with another puppy.
He was lucky to be alive, being this sick and skinny, and tossed away. The other puppy didn’t make it.
Ann-Marie heard about Scratchy through the local rescue community and knew he needed her. She tended to him so well he became the healthy chunk of love you see here.
Touchie came in about a year ago, from an owner who asked Ann-Marie to look after him and some other dogs, promising to come back for them. He never did.
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Ann-Marie discovered that he’d given her a fake name along with the dogs.
The other dogs found new homes. Touchie and Scratchy were too thick as thieves by then to be separated.
Scratchy and Touchie are now the official welcoming committee for all the many, many fosters.
Which is lucky, because two more foster puppies just arrived.
Nala and Scarlet are just 10 weeks old. They were given up by someone who’d bought them from a breeder, then realized she couldn’t take care of the dogs.
Through the network of folks who are always looking out for animals in a tight spot, Ann-Marie learned about this pair, and offered them a place to stay until some lucky family snatches them up for good. (Apply to adopt them, and Pebbles, through Bobbie’s Pit Bull Rescue and Sanctuary!)
The new puppers arrived a couple of days ago.
So far, as expected, they, too, seem to be making themselves quite comfortable — playing like crazy with Pebbles, then making great big Pit Bull pileups with Scratchy and Touchie, these beautiful dogs with backgrounds as rotten as their souls are good.
“They welcome them with open paws, warm beds, and plenty of food and treats for their bellies,” Ann-Marie says. “I am blessed with the temperament of my two boys.”
Ann-Marie Johnson’s foster pups are all available for adoption. Find out more on the Bobbie’s Pit Bull Rescue and Sanctuary Facebook page.
Get in touch at [email protected]!
Featured image via Ann-Marie Johnson
