When Donna Clark found out that a black pit bull whose name was Arlo was looking for a temporary home, she realized she was in for a challenging journey. She was also aware of the fact that there was no way she could refuse him.
Clark, the president of Soul 2 Soul Animal Rescue, is the person who has the most understanding of how hard it is to find adoptive homes for black pit bulls. She is unsure of why this is the case — whether it is due to superstition or because some people find their appearance scary — but time and time again, black pit bulls have proven to be the most difficult canines for the shelter to find homes for. Clark was determined to find a way to make it work no matter what.
In a post that they made on Facebook, Soul 2 Soul said that “Good rescues don’t only take on easy-to-place pets.” They are willing to help any animal that is in need, regardless of the animal’s appearance.
Arlo had a friendly appearance and a cheerful personality, much like many other black pit bulls who’d been to the shelter before him but had been disregarded. He couldn’t fathom why no one desired him or even needed him.
According to what people perceive on the surface, “the beautiful, joyful personality of black pit bulls and black pit bull mixes may occasionally go ignored,” Clark told The Dodo. “The beautiful, cheerful nature of black pit bulls and black pit bull mixes can often get overlooked.”
Arlo was overjoyed when he, at last, found a place to call his own. Arlo’s adopters found that the puppy was too active and fun for their lifestyle, and they opted to return him because of this realization. Regrettably, the relationship did not last very long. Clark’s heart sank as he realized that Arlo had returned to the animal shelter.
After Arlo was returned to his initial adoptive family, Clark said that the experience left both of their hearts crushed. “It was incredibly challenging to see Arlo grow despondent and confused about why he was no longer with [them],” she said. “It was really tough to see.”
Arlo was put with a foster mother who had a lot of expertise, and she was able to lift Arlo’s emotions enough that finally, he was ready to give it another go.
It was instantly obvious that Arlo and his mom were destined to be together when they eventually met one another. Their brilliant connection had shown that the wait had been well worth it.
“Arlo’s new adopter shared with us that she fell in love with him the moment she saw his gorgeous face and knew right away that she wanted to make him a part of her family,” Clark said.
These days, Arlo is taking full advantage of all the privileges that come with having a family, such as playing in the grass with his dog sister and devoting a lot of quality time to his mother.
Clark said that “in the end, it was all worth the roller-coaster voyage” when referring to the experience. “[Arlo] is happy with his new life, and his mom and his fur sister both agree that it doesn’t matter what color the dog’s fur is when you have a dog that is this great, [a dog] that makes you happy both inside and outside of your body!”
