Puppy Saved from Life of Dogfighting

Nikki, a pit bull mix, was said to have been found in a neighbor’s backyard, tied to a tree, with rubber bands embedded into her ears. She was scared and alone.

Nikki was only 12 weeks old and had already had a horrific life. The tightly wound rubber bands had been on her ears for at least two weeks, causing them to become infected. They had started to rot off.  

Nikki's case is one of the most horrible reported cases of backyard ear cropping. She was rescued by SPCA Tampa Bay, which performed an emergency amputation of both her ears. 

Things began to turn around while Nikki was in foster care. Her ears were healing nicely, and her heart began to learn what love is for the first time. 

Then Nikki met Kelli Chickos at an SPCA luncheon. Kelli says she immediately cried out of sadness for what Nikki had been through, and also because she instantly felt like Nikki's mommy.

Kelli asked the SPCA what she needed to do to be considered to adopt Nikki. On Feb. 1, Nikki went home to Dunedin with Kelli and her husband, Steve, and a pack that consisted of four senior greyhounds, one rescued mix breed and two rescued cats. What a life to go to – people who love and care for rescued animals!

Her first week at home was like any puppy's: sleeping, playing, eating, using the bathroom in the house, sleeping and using the bathroom some more. The Chickos pack was kind to her, and Jaxson became not only her adopted brother, but also her best friend. Nikki's foster family reached out, too, sending drawings of Nikki that her foster dad did. Not only did the Chickos family gain a new baby; they gained new friends in the foster family. 

Nikki has became somewhat of an ambassador to raise awareness of animal cruelty and dogfighting. Her new human family is always hoping that someone will ask them about her ears so they can bring awareness to them. They even have a Facebook page for Nikki with more than 700 fans. That is more than I have! What a great way to get the word out.

Nikki’s new family takes very good care of her, all the way down to putting sunscreen on her ears so they do not burn when she goes outside. She greets her humans at the door most of the time with lots of kisses. Nikki has the life every dog dreams of. She gets to go to puppy day care at least once a week to romp and play. She has other dogs in her house, but what better way to socialize a dog and make her happy? 

She is also in training classes to become certified as a Canine Good Citizen, a program that helps recognize dogs who have some of the best manners. Some Canine Good Citizens become therapy dogs, who go into medical facilities to help people feel better. Nikki's agenda is a little more personal: She wants to teach people not to stereotype pit bulls.

We asked Gulfport animal expert Lynda Shehan to share some tips for incorporating a rescue dog into your family when the dog has had a rough past.

Owners must establish themselves as the pack leader: This is not a negative to a dog, but something very positive. This applies to all dogs especially puppies looking for direction so they can live out their lives in human surroundings. This can also be very important to a dog that has had abuse within his life. A pack leader is kind enough to guide the dog's brain into peace. He no longer must make decisions that truthfully their brains are not equipped to handle. They know safety, love and peace. 

Time: One must have the time to work daily with the dog's situation and not overwhelm the dog by giving them more space than they can handle.

Give them their space: A passive dog or one that hasn't been socialized properly or is afraid of people (many times a dog is afraid of people because they see people as abusers, thus they realize if they stay away from people, their life is better) needs to be limited to a small part of the home where he has a bed or crate, food, water and toys.  Giving them the run of the home is too stressful. This smaller area of the home is only for them to sleep and eat. 

Leash: A leash is a very powerful training device. It links the dog to the pack leader and the dog should find comfort in the pack leader's decision due to the fact that the dog must learn that the pack leader will never allow anything negative to happen to them. A leash walk can simply be around the inside of the house, then out in the yard then down the street. Time and patience from the leader is the key with lots of praise. The leader must consider the dog's situation, but establish trust and leadership so that the dog will no longer be afraid. I find when walking a dog, people want to come up and pet him or touch him in some way - this is not acceptable until the dog is absolutely ready which could take years.  When you allow people to place your dog in, what they see as unsafe and fearful situation, the pack leader has let them down. People must be told by the leader that it is not acceptable. 

A dog lives in the present: As new routines are established, if done properly and in a positive manner, the old abusive life will be forgotten. But this all goes back to every member of the family must be on board, lots of patience, praise and time.  Dogs reflect their pack leader. Any dog can be made to be mean and any dog can be made to be nice.  The breed of the dog has nothing to do with it. No dog, when allowed to be mean is worse than the smallest breed, the Chihuahua.  When you see a biting, nasty Chi, it is totally the owner's fault.  No dog is nicer than the Pit or Doberman when the owner steps up and desires to have a nice dog. When you bring an abused dog into your home, you must be prepared to be the pack leader. You can't dwell on the fact that the dog was abused. The best that you can do is teach them that people are caregivers and they will never suffer abuse again. 

Ask for help: When bringing a dog into your home that has been trained to be a fighting dog rather it be a Pit or Jack Russell, this is a special circumstance and you will need professional help from a dog trainer. Many of Michael Vicks fighting pits were rescued, trained and now live wonderful lives, but they all worked with professionals in this field before they found their way into homes.