THIS IS LONG, BUT WORTH THE READING! Hi, I have owned, or been owned by, this terrific breed for 13 years now. When I first graduated from high school in 1989 I wanted to get a dog of my own. I did a lot of research and had dediced on a Rottweiler. I contacted several breeders and owners. I had my mind set on a Rottie, until one day I was watching a news report in regards to an extreme abuse case on Pit Bulls. I watched the 5 minute segment and cried the entire time. They showed these extremely pathetic looking animals, crouched down on dirt beds with huge chains deadbolted to their necks. You could count every bone in their body! They were scared up, missing ears, eyes, walking on broken bones that had mended without the help of a veterinarian. But despite all the pain and torment these dogs had been through, they greeted each person that approached them with a big grin and a wagging tail. I thought how could a dog that has obviously never known love from a human being still want to be around one. I would have expected a growling, foaming at the mouth, lunging dog to be at the end of these terrible chains. So, after drying my eyes, I decided to do more research on this breed. After several weeks of reading, attending dog shows, talking to owners breeders and visiting animal shelters, I found the perfect puppy. He was part of a litter of 8. They were 6 weeks old when I went to see them. I remember sitting on the floor in the laundry room of the house. The puppies were sleeping in a laundry basket. They were very healthy and fat. There was a brightly marked red male that I was extremely fond of. I kept trying to get the puppy to come to me, because I was determined that he would be mine. He was too busy playing and not very interested in me. There was this little dark brindle male that kept coming over to me and trying to get my attention. I would pet him and then continue on my quest to win over the little red male. The brindle pup was very determined to get me to notice him. Before I knew it the brindle pup had snuck into my lap and was fast asleep. I dediced to take this little boy home. I was still wishing that the red male would have come to me and chose me instead. The first night home I allowed the pup to sleep with me, I was uneducated about crates. I woke up the next morning with the pup on my pillow. To my surprise there were no accidents. I quickly got dressed and took him outside. I asked him to go potty, he did right away. I named him Maverick, after my favorite movie "Top Gun". I was at the end of my semester in college and was not suppose to have any animals in my dorm room. I would put Maverick in a laundry basket and cover him with clothes to sneak him outside. I did these four to five times a day. I'm sure everyone was wondering where all the dirty clothes were coming from. Maverick would curl up in my oversized jacket and accompany me to grocery stores, movies, restaurants, etc. This didn't last long as he quickly grew. I was back home with my parents when Maverick was about 12 weeks old. My parents had the fear of Pit Bulls instilled in them thanks to the media. But Maverick quickly won them over with his insatiable appetite to love and please everyone. He use to sleep in a cardboard box in the kitchen during the day. He could be found peeking out from under my Mom's robe as she did dishes. We started obedience when he was about 6 months old. He was extremely intelligent and quickly picked up everything he was asked to do. As Maverick grew, he helped change a lot of minds. He went everywhere with me, and I mean EVERYWHERE! My friends would invite me for dinner, sleepover or a party and he was always there. If I was ever spotted without him, people would worry that something had happened to him. We lived next door to a couple that had a yellow labrador retriever named Brick. He was an old grouchy mean dog. One day he attacked my parents Golden Retriever, Benjamin. Maverick heard the screams and ran over to help. Maverick darted in and out feverishly biting at Bricks legs. Brick turned his attention away from Ben and onto Maverick. Ben dragged himself back to safety. Maverick endured a terrible beating from the 14 year old lab. He had the leftside of his face peeled away like an orange and his eye shoved into his socket. Somehow Maverick managed to get away long enough to make it back to my sisters backporch next door to my parents house. We were not home when the terrible incident happened, but my sister arrived home shortly after. As she approached her front door she noticed the trail of blood that led her to the back of her house. She saw Maverick laying in a corner covered in blood. She thought he was dead, but as she approached he managed to wag his tail for her. She quickly grabbed him and drove him to the nearest vet, 45 minutes away. My father, a medical doctor, met her at the vet. The veterinarian, Dr Funkhauser, took Maverick directly into surgery allowing my father to be in there with him. Maverick needed a blood transfusion and received several sticthes. Dr Funkhauser thought for sure that Maverick would lose his eye. He pulled it back into place and advised us not to expect miracles. Several weeks went by for recovery and he went from looking like a Shar pei to his old beautiful self. His eye is fine and he still has his sight, though cloudy, at 13 years old. Even to this day Maverick is very cautious, but not aggressive, around yellow labs. We moved from Texas to Maryland in 1993 and I got him certified as a therapy dog. He loved visiting the old folks home. I also, after years had gone by since obedience class, got his CD (Companion Dog Title) in obedience. He quickly earned it in three day's of showing, never scoring less then a 196 out of 200. He also earned his CGC (Canine Good Citizen Award). Maverick has gone beyond the call of duty to prove to me and everyone he meets that Pit Bulls are very misunderstood. I have done rescue for this breed and several strange dogs have shared Mavericks home. He has allowed them to live with us and rarely complained. He has helped raise several puppies through rescue, rabbits, birds, deer and any other animal in need. In July 2000 Maverick was diagnosed with mast cell tumor cancer. He had two surgeries to remove over 10 lumps and went through two months of chemotherapy. I was told he would only have 6 months to live. So my husband, Glenn and I, dediced we would allow him to live without all the chemo, which made him sick, and would just put him on prevention drugs. Well, as I am writing this it is December 2002 and he is still with us. He had a lump reappear that we had removed in October that came back as cancerous from the lab. He has terrible arthritis, enlarged heart, pulmonary edema and degenerative bone disease. Dispite all his ailments he still gets up every morning wagging his tail. He has definitely slowed down a lot and is not as eager to greet new rescues, but he is still the best dog in the world. I am glad I was able to share a small portion of this terrific dog's life with you. I hope that you too will all be able to experience, if you haven't already, the true unconditional love of a Pit Bull. JUNE 10, 2003 Today I lost the best friend I have ever known. What a truly devoted, loyal, understanding, non judgemental and distinguished man. Today I woke up to Maverick having had a stroke and not being able to move. His dignity had been lost you could see it in his eyes as he lay there in his own urine and feces. The look in his eyes told me that today I would need to say goodbye. I tried so hard to be strong, because he hated to see me cry. Glenn and I picked him up and cleaned him off. We carried him to the back of my Jeep and lay him on a comfortable bed. As we made the journey to West Frederick Vet I called everyone I knew that had the chance to have Maverick touch their lives. So many people loved this guy and showed their love by coming to say goodbye. We had a private room that my friend Becky had set up for us with a warm comfy spot to lay. Felicia Thompson, Jessie Fell, Susan O’Neill and my friends at work came to say goodbye. We spent 6 hours talking and remembering good times as everyone rubbed Maverick. As the day went on, he grew weaker and I knew we had to let him go. Dr. Jane Sayler came in to send Maverick to his final resting place. It was so peaceful and comforting to know he would no longer suffer. Goodbye my Malamutt! I will love you forever and there will never be another. Please watch over me and keep us safe. I will once again be by your side. As my seven year old son, Lasher, said,"Mommy, Maverick loved so much that his heart grew so big it couldn't love anymore."

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