I
wanted to share the story of Gunner aka “Itchy Pig”. Gunner came to me when he was just a young
pup. Friends of mine work with a dog
rescue and told me of this sweet boy.
Gunner was around 10-12 weeks old when I met him. He melted my heart instantly. We don’t know exactly what happened to Gunner
when he was so young. But we have seen
the aftermath of his past. He came to us
with short, uneven ears with scabs still on them, even bleeding in areas. It looked like a fresh cropping that was done
unprofessionally, maybe even with scissors.
Also, Gunner had a mangled back foot that smelled of rotting flesh. A deep gash was present above his poor foot
that looked like something was tied around his back leg for weeks. (Gunner
still has this scar on his leg 3 years later.)
It appeared that Gunner was in survival mode and chewed his own foot off
to get out of this contraption. Gunner
was missing all of his toes on his back foot except one that dangled to the
side. I believe that this is how he made his escape from the people who owned
him because he was found on the streets.
He was dirty and had a broken tail that seemed to us that someone tried
to dock it unsuccessfully. He looked
malnourished and sick from infection. My
husband and I could not say no to this little guy. We never ever thought of having a pit bull
before. The media does not shine
positive light on this breed. But boy,
how Gunner changed our life and perception of this marvelous and loving breed. We
immediately adopted him and took him to the veterinarian where a possible
amputation of his leg would take place.
His back foot was so narcotic that he could not use it. My husband would have to sleep in the guest
room because Gunner’s poor foot smelled so bad. But to our surprise, on Gunners third visit to
the veterinarian he showed feeling in his little nub. We were able to save his leg and paw, or what
was left of his paw. We did 2 cosmetic
surgeries on Gunner’s foot to preserve his leg too. My husband and I went through months of
bandage changing and custom made doggy boots.
Then we started noticing hair loss and constant scratching. It was not fleas but soon to find out, it was
food and seasonal allergies. We have been through so many bags of dog food and
treats, trying to figure out the cause of the allergy. Turns out Gunner is allergic to chicken,
beef, grain, oats, potato and egg. These
are common ingredients found in most dog foods and treats. We finally found a dog food that works and he
has yummy fruits and veggies for treats. Yes dogs love veggies! Gunner is now 3
years old and close to 80 pounds. He is
so sweet, healthy and happy. Did I
mention spoiled?! Gunner is my inspiration for writing this children’s book but
in the book he is a pig. Gunner always resembled
a pig to me and my husband. He was always so itchy when he was little and the
nickname itchy pig just stuck through the years. I want to inspire people to view pit bulls differently and be entertained by a
story about allergies that children, adults and dogs suffer from. Getting this book published means so much and
to have your support in sharing Gunner’s story and message means the world to
me. Thank you!
So excited to order these books written by one of my most thoughtful, sweet and compassionate friends. Nicole is a true beauty from her spirit and soul to the way she lives life. Cheers to you friend!
I wanted to share the story of Gunner aka “Itchy Pig”. Gunner came to me when he was just a young pup. Friends of mine work with a dog rescue and told me of this sweet boy. Gunner was around 10-12 weeks old when I met him. He melted my heart instantly. We don’t know exactly what happened to Gunner when he was so young. But we have seen the aftermath of his past. He came to us with short, uneven ears with scabs still on them, even bleeding in areas. It looked like a fresh cropping that was done unprofessionally, maybe even with scissors. Also, Gunner had a mangled back foot that smelled of rotting flesh. A deep gash was present above his poor foot that looked like something was tied around his back leg for weeks. (Gunner still has this scar on his leg 3 years later.) It appeared that Gunner was in survival mode and chewed his own foot off to get out of this contraption. Gunner was missing all of his toes on his back foot except one that dangled to the side. I believe that this is how he made his escape from the people who owned him because he was found on the streets. He was dirty and had a broken tail that seemed to us that someone tried to dock it unsuccessfully. He looked malnourished and sick from infection. My husband and I could not say no to this little guy. We never ever thought of having a pit bull before. The media does not shine positive light on this breed. But boy, how Gunner changed our life and perception of this marvelous and loving breed. We immediately adopted him and took him to the veterinarian where a possible amputation of his leg would take place. His back foot was so narcotic that he could not use it. My husband would have to sleep in the guest room because Gunner’s poor foot smelled so bad. But to our surprise, on Gunners third visit to the veterinarian he showed feeling in his little nub. We were able to save his leg and paw, or what was left of his paw. We did 2 cosmetic surgeries on Gunner’s foot to preserve his leg too. My husband and I went through months of bandage changing and custom made doggy boots. Then we started noticing hair loss and constant scratching. It was not fleas but soon to find out, it was food and seasonal allergies. We have been through so many bags of dog food and treats, trying to figure out the cause of the allergy. Turns out Gunner is allergic to chicken, beef, grain, oats, potato and egg. These are common ingredients found in most dog foods and treats. We finally found a dog food that works and he has yummy fruits and veggies for treats. Yes dogs love veggies! Gunner is now 3 years old and close to 80 pounds. He is so sweet, healthy and happy. Did I mention spoiled?! Gunner is my inspiration for writing this children’s book but in the book he is a pig. Gunner always resembled a pig to me and my husband. He was always so itchy when he was little and the nickname itchy pig just stuck through the years. I want to inspire people to view pit bulls differently and be entertained by a story about allergies that children, adults and dogs suffer from. Getting this book published means so much and to have your support in sharing Gunner’s story and message means the world to me. Thank you!