Jay and Mary Ann Angros
Benny T. Nutt CGC
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Benny was, to put it mildy, totally nuts! He was a thirteen month old puppy who had been tied out in a yard from the time he was seven weeks. He was never trained. He was used mostly for target practice. So, Benny was a biter. He had eight bites to his record. The neighbors were in the process of getting a court order to have him destroyed. One of his favorite targets were Postal Service trucks. He had one poor mailman trapped in his truck for an hour and a half! And Benny was BIG! He weighed 37 pounds, and it was 37 pounds of rage, puppy energy and muscle! His owner wanted to know "why such an aggressive breed is considered a good family pet?!" They called the Humane Society, who said that they would destroy him immediately, but suggested that the owners call Sheltie Rescue and see what we had to say. Jay got the call two days before Halloween, 1995. When he heard that the only two options open were we came out to get him or he was going to be destroyed, Jay was on his way to Canonsburg! We were Benny's last hope. Most of the "crazy" dogs that have been fostered with us weren't crazy at all. When Jay got out of the car, Benny charged, jumping at Jay's head. Jay stopped him in midair, grabbing him by the throat. That suprised Benny. Nobody had ever stood up to him before! The only way Jay could get him into the car was to take his cable, too. If Rusty Cromer or MaryLee Jones (of Sheltie Rescue) had seen him, he'd have been one dead dog. By the time I got home from work, Benny was walking pretty well, on a really tight lead. He let me get close enough to pet him, after he sniffed my fist. He fit in pretty well with the rest of the dogs, but we couldn't trust him when we weren't around, and we didn't have a crate big enough for him, so he spent nights chained to the kitchen table (the chain gave him the whole area to move around in) for the first month or so. He bit through several leads and broke two tie-out cables. Jay got bit several times during the first few days. When he wasn't barking, chasing or attacking something, he was very charming and starved for affection. On the next Saturday, we started obedience classes. Jay had Benny and I had another over-sized puppy that we eventually placed, Sarah. Sarah was pulling my left arm out of the socket, so I took Benny, who didn't pull as much. The command came, "down your dog." I looked at Benny and he looked at me ... the bite made my wrist numb for five minutes. Jay came up bleeding as he pulled him off. After he figured out who was "top dog," he fell deeply in love with Jay. There was no way this dog could be placed, so Benny became our third dog. Over the months, Benny has learned that all people don't want to hurt him. He doesn't attack the door anymore. He still barks at trucks, but he listens when you tell him to stop. He is very smart and an excellent tracker. He loves shoelaces. He thinks if he unties them, then you won't leave and he'll still get pets. Two of his best friends are Ashley (5) and her sister Heather (7) from across the street. He goes with us every month to pet therapy at the Presbyterian Home in Oakmont and loves all the attention. And on June 1, 1996 he became Benny T. Nutt, Canine Good Citizen. Arlene Halloran, his obedience instructor, said, "if there was an award for the most improved dog ever, it would go to Benny." Pretty good for the dog everybody was betting would have to be destroyed!! This poem says it best:  |
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