For Pit Bulls who find themselves in shelters, the future often looks grim. But when an energetic Pittie named Officer Wildflower was given an important job to do, she proved that she’s so much more than an “unwanted pet”!
According to Myrtle Beach Online, the pooch was picked up as a stray and spent 3 years at the North Myrtle Beach Humane Society. At one point, she was adopted, but then returned because of her bounding energy.
“Lots of times with pit bulls in the shelter we see that, because they’re so smart and they get bored very easily,” Tina Hunter, Executive Director of the North Myrtle Beach Humane Society, said in the story. “So a shelter environment is sometimes not the greatest environment for a dog that’s really, really high-strung and smart, because they get bored.”
Knowing that intelligence and energy might make it hard for Wildflower to be happy as a typical household pet, they started seeking different avenues for her.
“Everybody was interested in the skills, because she had the skills, but then when they found out she was a pit bull, the conversation shut down,” Hunter told Myrtle Beach Online. “Nobody wanted to touch her because she was a pit bull.”
That’s when they found the Throw Away Dogs Project in Pennsylvania, an organization whose mission statement reads: “We REPURPOSE, TRAIN, and RELOCATE ‘Unique’ dogs to positively impact our Communities.” They agreed to take in Wildflower and trained her to be a narcotics detection dog. Once she was ready, she was hired by the Wetumka Police Department in Oklahoma!
Officer Wildflower not only received a second chance, she’s now a valuable member of the police force. Still a rookie, she’s already made a drug bust, and her co-workers couldn’t be more proud!
Carol Skaziak, founder of the Throw Away Dogs Project, told Myrtle Beach Online that after seeing Wildflower’s talent, two other police stations are looking to hire dogs from the rescue — specifically Pit Bulls.
It makes sense: many Pitties are known for their tenacity, intelligence, and energy, and Officer Wildflower proves that these qualities make for talented — and eager — working dogs.
“This girl is so happy,” Skaziak added in the story. “She’s the sweetest thing.”
Way to go, Officer Wildflower — you’re truly a star!
Keep up with this girl’s barks and busts on the K9 Wildflower Facebook Page.
To support the Throw Away Dogs Project and help them train more pups like Wildflower, you can donate on their Facebook page.
(h/t: Myrtle Beach Online)
