Ivy
October 21, 2010

Ivy came to the Methuen adoption center as a stray, so the staff didn’t know very much about her.  She was first fostered, and then adopted, by a staff member at the MSPCA.

We really didn’t know anything about this beautiful blue and white Pit Bull when she came to us.  She was very thin and nervous, and with every passing day her stress level seemed to get a little higher.  I tried for weeks to make a connection with her, but she just wouldn’t warm up to me.  She wasn’t adapting well to life in a shelter, but we all believed she would come out of her shell in a more natural home environment.

In mid June I was contacted by a young woman in the North End of Boston wanting to adopt a Pit Bull.  I had adopted a Pit Bull to her next door neighbor and she wanted a dog similar to her neighbor’s dog.  Her biggest criteria were that the dog would have to get along with her two cats and live in a small condo in Boston.  I thought Ivy would be a good fit for her, although I was not sure if she could live with cats.

I volunteered to bring Ivy home with me over night to test her with my three cats.  I just wanted to get a feel for her reaction to them in hopes that in a short time I could feel comfortable knowing that Ivy would be able to live with the potential adopter’s cats.

Well, Ivy was a totally different dog at my house.  She calmed down, the stress seemed to melt away and she seemed happier than I had ever seen her.  I kept her with me at my house while trying to gather more information so I felt 100% comfortable that she would be o.k. with cats.  As time went on Ivy and I became very close.

Her potential adopter came to visit her and quickly realized that Ivy had bonded with me.  She took Ivy out for a walk and said Ivy could not keep her eyes off me.  I expressed an interest in taking Ivy home with me and giving her the forever home that she so needed.  We agreed that Ivy would stay with me and I’d continue looking for the perfect Pit Bull for the adopter.

Ivy and I have been together for almost 4 months and I cannot imagine life without her.  We are best buddies and go just about everywhere together.  Ivy is great with my cats and the cats are getting used to the fact that she is going to be with us forever.

-Diane P.