From death row to his best life

Where would you expect to find a handsome, young guy on a pretty fall evening? If you guessed enjoying a night out, you were right. The guy is a 1-year old pitbull named Chubb and, yes, he's named after Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb. Chubb, the dog, spent last Wednesday evening at Lorain's Bascule Brewery making friends with patrons, including another dog and the brewery owner's 5-year-old son. It's a far cry from where he was a short 48 hours earlier when his life was saved from doggie death row. Chubb wasn't guilty of anything except showing up in a neighborhood for three weeks looking homeless. A kind woman named Dot Barnard saw his plight and was able to scoop him up. Then she followed the law and took him to the county kennel. Time passed. The young pit bull was not doing well in doggie prison. He did not like being caged. It showed. No one adopted him. Sadly, he faced the same lousy fate many dogs face. He was scheduled for euthanization — at 1 year old. Barnard carefully followed his story on the shelter website. When she learned he was being put down, she called Fido's Companion for help. They were at capacity so Fido's director Michelle Reichlin contacted Tory Becker Mittler, who volunteers with Fido's and Lorain County Dog Kennel. "Michelle knows I have a soft spot for these types of dogs," said Mittler, who posted Chubb's story on social media. It was shared nearly 500 times. When Lorain resident Jim Edwards, dad to three rescue dogs and seven cats, heard about Chubb's predicament, he stepped up. He had rescued pit bulls from the Cleveland dog kennel and LCDK after fostering a dog whose owner had died. His three dogs are named after people associated with music legend Prince — Dr. Fink, Ida and Lolita. Perhaps it's not surprising to learn he has seven cats and all are named after rock 'n' roll hall of famers. He connected with Barnard who retrieved the dog from the pound on the day he was to be killed. She made the one-hour drive to Edwards in Lorain and a better life for Chubb. Edwards summed up his experience with Chubb in a short sentence, "What a great dog." Chubb knows basic commands and walks well on a leash. Edwards believes Chubb was raised in a home or he would not have known how to do these things. That's the problem with picking up strays. Their backgrounds and medical histories are not known. Edwards' experience with pit bulls made him a great choice to serve as Chubb's foster while a permanent home can be found — and, according to Edwards, several people already have expressed interest. Because Chubb was a stray, they were unsure how he would do with other dogs and kids. The trip to Bascule Brewery answered the question. Chubb had already been introduced to Edwards' other dogs — both male and female — and they got along. At Bascule, he met an older male golden retriever. Edwards said, after a 10-second or so "check out," they ended up playing together. Chubb also made fast friends with Bascule co-owner Chris Kambouris' 5-year old son, Adonis. Similar to what happened at the downstate kennel, Edwards acknowledged Chubb does not like being crated or caged, but is totally OK outside of those confines. He gives him free rein at this auto repair shop in east Lorain. Chubb also suffers from separation anxiety. "He doesn't like me being out of his sight," he said, which could be another indicator that Chubb was a family dog at one time. He still had a lot of puppy tendencies, according to Edwards. Forget Me Not rescue has agreed to help with Chubb's vetting, along with Barnard. Lisa Anne Stella at Doggie Inn has stepped up to offer 30 days of training for Chubb and his adoptive family. Edwards began adopting pit bulls after reading about the large numbers who end up euthanized. He added it doesn't help that Chubb's coat is mostly black, adding black dogs are not as easy to adopt out. "I have seen zero aggression. He did not deserve to die," Edwards said. Here's to Chubb and the long line of wonderful people determined to give him his best life. If you have ideas for stories about pets, send them along. Michele Murphy looks forward to sharing them with her readers. Contact her at avonlakemurphy@gmail.com.