RESCUE TAILS / FRIEND TO ALL, ENEMY TO NO ONE

By Tammy Fox, Executive Director, Florida Keys SPCA

It’s no secret that at the FKSPCA we love our pitties. Pit bulls, that is. Despite all the bad press, we know that pitties are the most loyal, loveable breed. Their mission in life is to please their owners and why they used to be called “nanny” dogs years ago, protecting their owners’ children. Regrettably, if their owners want and train them to do unspeakable things, they will oblige. That’s how much love is in their hearts. It’s also no secret that, while we love all the animals that come to our doors for protection and safety, once in a while an animal just grabs our hearts and finds an extra special place there. Like Fozzie. Sadly, we heard recently from his adopters, Mark and Noelle Rivas, that Fozzie had died, but here, let’s celebrate the life of this special boy.

Mark Rivas, husband of Noelle, reminisced. “I resisted complicating our lives with a new dog but Noelle was completely taken with him. I had returned to my overseas job and she would send me pictures of her working with this excitable pit bull with cow–like markings every day, supposedly evaluating his suitability for a possible adoption but I knew what was really going on: she had another “guy” in her life and I would just have to accept it. I tried every excuse: the cat, my job, her job, the expense; nothing worked. I came home for my month off and the next day had a new member of the family.

“Can a dog possess nobility? I don‘t know… but what I do know is he left everyone with a smile. He could be jumpy and pushy, rough in his hardheaded, dopey way but suddenly gentle before things went too far. Playing tug of war with his rope suddenly his teeth would land on my hand and he would stop to keep from hurting me. What he always wanted was to make his way into your heart. He had the

most expressive eyes and a little head tilt that would snap you into a better place on a bad day. He was a blessing.

“One day while walking him on Mallory Square some tourists asked me if they could pet him. In true Fozzie form he turned on the charm and as I was walking away I heard one of the women say “I have a new found love for pit bulls.” He was an ambassador.

“Right now I‘m sad; I have to go home and he won‘t be there; I hope that soon Noelle and I can feel grateful that this special soul was with us for a little more than four years and we were able to love him in a way he deserved and he loved us back way more in return.”

As we offer our condolences to Mark and Noelle, we rejoice and are thankful for the four and a half wonderful years they gave to our Fozzie, a Rescue Tail worth sharing with you all.

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