Pit Stop

Jason Stenvold Glen Lake Photography

Dan and I traveled to Spartanburg, South Carolina this weekend to attend the wedding of our very special friends Lukas and Julie. On our way we spent a day in Asheville, North Carolina for a small visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We were planning on doing some hiking but it never stopped raining, so instead we explored the quaint and lovely town. While strolling through the main drag we came across two young men and their lovely pit bull dog. Of course we approached them and asked politely whether we could pet their beautiful friend.

They welcomed our enthusiasm for the mama dog and let us know that they desperately needed to find her a new home. With no money, no automobile, and some friends waiting for them out West, they needed to get on a Greyhound bus as soon as they made enough cash, and when they did they would need to leave the mama dog behind, since Greyhound won't let dogs travel on board.

You have no idea how badly I wanted to take this dog home with me to Minnesota. We had flown though, so that would have been pretty impossible, considering the dog had no papers, no vaccines, no history, etc. Not to mention Gus probably would have had a major fit with the addition of another dog to our household. We stayed petting the dog and talking to the men for longer than we should have, and left reluctantly, after dropping a ten dollar bill into their collection hat.

If this had happened to us in Minnesota I would have immediately called A Rotta Love, a Rottweiler and Pit Bull rescue group that fosters unwanted non-traditional breeds. Not being from North Carolina I didn't know who to contact at the time, and instead mentioned the mama dog to every person I continued to meet on our stroll through town.

Coincidentally, A Rotta Love is co-sponsoring an art show with Lintu Art, celebrating Rottweilers, Pit Bulls, and other non-traditional dog breeds through art. I missed the gallery opening this past Saturday, but First Thursday at the Northrup King Building is coming up this week, and Lintu Art should be open for showings.