The Heart of Hobbit

Hobbit holds a special place in the heart of our volunteers. He spent his life in a deplorable puppy mill with little to no human contact. Rescued in his senior years, he was essentially a feral dog living in a state of emotional and physical pain. He had given up the will to live. But his foster mom wouldn't accept this resignation. With a full year of vet care, good nutrition and lots of TLC, Hobbit gradually evolved into a lively, happy dog, with some very distinctive personality traits. Finding Hobbit a family proved the most difficult adoption BTRNC faced. He was the last of the 12 Sanford Puppy Mill dogs to be adopted. In December 2005, he traveled all the way to Michigan to find his forever home.

His adoptive family checks in after 7 months:

"I was so worried when Hobbit first came home with me. He warmed up very quickly to me and my dogs, but he was terrified of everyone else. Like I said before he is still choosey about his human friends, but he is at least warming up to other people now. We live in a small town and frequently go eat at this old A&W drive-in(it’s the only restaurant in town), where they serve you at your car. Hobbit has found a best friend there. The young girl that usually serves us always bribes Hobbit with a “doggy sundae “..its a little cup of ice cream with crushed dog bones sprinkled on it. Hobbit will start to drool just at the sight of this young girl now. He has become so accustomed to going there with us and she always brings him out a sundae!

Anyway, Hobbit is doing so much better than I ever imagined he could. He was so timid and visibly scared of everything at first. I think having my pitbull Eddie helped Hobbit immensely. Hobbit has come into his own now, but still keeps Eddie in sight. He just loves Eddie, but he will go off and do his own thing now. In the last month he has finally caught on to the game of fetch. He used to run after the ball and then just lay down with it, as though he was confused or had no idea what to do next. But he began to realize that I will throw it again if he brings it back to me. So, now he brings me EVERYTHING. Rocks, walnuts, dirty socks and even my car keys sometimes. Anything he can pick up….he brings me to throw. He is such a character. Hobbit loves the water and has discovered our pond this summer. He is intrigued with the bull frogs in the pond and is constantly pouncing on them, never hurts them though. He’s just having a good time. He acts like a puppy, you would never guess he is an older dog. He went on vacation with us this summer to Washington DC and he did so well. We stayed in a “dog friendly” hotel and he was just an angel. Hobbit is an excellent little traveler. Anyway, I wanted you to know that he is doing well and I am so thankful for having Hobbit in my life."

We applaud the individual who sees a troubled dog and steps forward. And we honor Hobbit who reminds us that happiness comes from choosing to be happy and finding ways to get there.