Characterized as junkyard curs or fighting dogs, the poor pooches don’t see their more affectionate, loving sides advertised very often.
Children’s author and former WCTC radio producer Todd Jagemann, the proud owner of his “spoiled princess” Macy, is looking to change the public’s perception of the animals with a new book, “Macy the Lonely Pit Bull Finds a Home.”
“It’s a shame they get a bad rap,” he said. “Maybe I can change people’s attitude towards the breed. Kids are impressionable, so we can start there.”
The book is based on the true story of Angel, a white pit bull that had been the victim of someone’s attempt to make her a fighting dog. She was badly abused, tortured and almost died.
She was left chained to the fence outside the Ewing Animal Shelter in July 2007 in dire condition. She had internal and external injuries, emaciation, parasite infestation, and scars from being attacked by other dogs. Both of her ears had been cut off.
At the time, Jagemann’s wife Robyn was searching for a dog to love on the website Petfinder.com. She came across Angel at the Pet Rescue Center of Mercer, where she was described as “calm and great with kids.”
Robyn Jagemann fell in love.
She knew she could give Angel a good home and told her husband of her intentions.
“At first I said, ‘What, are you crazy?’” Jagemann recalled.
But his wife insisted.
They adopted Angel and renamed her so as not to upset a family member who had just put down a dog with a similar name. Her new name, Macy, was suggested by Jagemann’s niece.
“It was named after her favorite store,” he said.
At first, the dog seemed cautious, especially of males, Jagemann said. But as she came out of her shell, Macy, who is now a healthy 65 pounds with a sweet disposition, proved to be a great family member — playful with the Jagemann’s nieces and nephews and the playmate of choice for other dogs.
“They really are sweet dogs,” he said of the breed. “You hear her bark, and she sounds like a big, bad pit bull, but by night she is covered with blankets. She likes to be covered when she is cold. She’s not so scary.”
In 2010, the Jagemanns attended a pet exposition in Edison and Macy was the belle of the ball, they said.
“People kept telling me what a calm, nice dog we had, and that she was a perfect ambassador to the breed,” Jagemann said.
Two weeks later he woke early one morning with an idea for a story about Macy, and quickly wrote out half the story of a lonely dog in search of a family to love.
He connected with the self-publishing website Lulu.com, which worked with him to bring his story to life with illustrations of Macy, and a book was born. Jagemann said he will donate part of the proceeds from the book to Pet Rescue of Mercer.
To purchase the book, visit www.lulu.com and search for “Macy the Lonely Pit Bull.”
To help Pet Rescue of Mercer or to find out more about the organization, visit www.petrescueofmercer.org.
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Photos by Martin Griff / The Times of Trenton
http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2011/10/lonely_pit_bull_finds_a_home_i.html
