ENJOY LIFE EVERY DAY: PETEY THE ONE-EYED WONDER

This handsome Pittie might just have one eye, but he’s a huge hit with the girls and he sure loves his daddy!

The American Dog reports
Photos by Cherylynn Keller

In the first few days of August 2011, Petey was turned in as a stray to a Maricopa County Animal Shelter, in Arizona, and scheduled for euthanasia because of his disfigurement—his left eye was missing and his face was swollen and distorted. Luckily for Petey, his picture was taken by a group called 5AM Babies, and it was posted on Facebook with a plea asking for a rescue group to sponsor him so that he might avoid his death sentence.

Shortly after Petey’s picture had circulated, an amazing group called Rockstar Rescue (www.rockstarrescueaz.org) stepped up and sponsored Petey. On August 5, they went down to the shelter and rescued this scared and shy Pittie and took him to their boarding facility so that he could be evaluated.

On August 8, Petey was then taken by Rockstar Rescue to a veterinarian in the Phoenix metro area. This vet did a quick exam, gave Petey a shot, and said that there was nothing more to do for him. Clearly, this vet was disinterested in him. Rockstar Rescue said, “Petey’s visit to the vet was uneventful to say the least. No real exam or answers given. The vet says his jaw was broken at some point and has since healed misaligned, but he can eat just fine though. The eye is still in the socket, but damaged and shriveled up, and there’s no way he can see out of it. Doc thinks a bite from another dog caused the eye to be that way. No plan for surgery to rid the socket of the eye, to clean out the infection building in the socket or stitch the eye lids shut. He’s on antibiotics for now.”

On August 9, when Rockstar Rescue posted the news of Petey’s veterinary visit on the Facebook wall, John Schill saw the posting and decided to call Rockstar Rescue and see whether they would be interested in speaking to another vet. The organization agreed that a second opinion would be best, so a visit was set up.

On August 11, Petey went in and met with Doctor Josh at North Scottsdale Animal Hospital. Doctor Josh spent a considerable amount of time with Petey and confirmed that he did need surgery on his left eye. Further, Doctor Josh confirmed that Petey’s jaw had been broken sometime in the past; however, the deformity would not prevent him from eating or enjoying life. Surgery was then scheduled for August 15, but $600 had to be paid in advance.

Rockstar Rescue immediately stepped up and set up a chip-in for Petey. Numerous people and organizations rallied together and shared Petey’s chip-in page throughout Facebook and the Web. Within 48 hours the $600 had been raised for Petey’s surgery. However, the staff at North Scottsdale Animal Hospital did not know the goal had been met; so, on August 14, the night before the surgery, they called Rockstar Rescue and offered to pay any remaining balance out of their own pockets.

On August 15, Petey had his surgery. John says, “The remains of his left eye were removed, along with a lot of nasty infected scar tissue. They also performed a complete oral X-ray series to confirm that Petey would not have any additional jaw problems in the future.”

Because John had agreed to foster him for a few days during his recovery, he picked Petey up after his surgery. As John was leaving the vet’s office, Doctor Josh pulled him aside and said, “I know you’re a Rottweiler owner, but if there was ever a dog I would recommend for you to adopt, it would be this dog Petey.”

Petey then went home with John and spent the next few days recuperating at his house. Heeding Doctor Josh’s words, John began to consider adopting Petey. John had his dog trainer come to the house and evaluate how Petey and his two Rottweilers, Junior and Rocko, got along. Much to John’s surprise they all got along wonderfully. So on August 18, John informed Rockstar Rescue that he was a foster failure and he wanted to adopt this precious Pit Bull whom he now called “Petey the One-Eyed Wonder.”

Petey now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona with John and his two Rottweiler brothers. “His brother Junior, who is about the same age as Petey, is his best friend, and they are almost inseparable. It is not uncommon for Petey to whine if Junior is not around,” John says. Petey’s other brother, Rocko, is 12 years old (and went to heaven as we were going to print on this issue).

Also, John says, “Once a week Petey and Junior both have instructional training from their dog trainer, Brice Cavanaugh, at Total Dog. Both dogs are being trained in the basic commands so they can be great dogs around the house, at my office or my law firm, or out in public. In addition, both dogs are being trained in agility type exercises such as climbing obstacles, walking across the top of fences, and swimming to keep them mentally challenged. Brice also takes Petey and Junior twice a week for a dog adventure. This adventure last 4–5 hours and they either go hiking up Camelback Mountain or another trail here in Phoenix, go swimming, and/or just hang out with several other dogs and have play time. This helps both dogs to improve their agility, endurance, and socialization skills.”

Now that Petey has settled in and has his forever family, John says, “Petey is quite the ladies man and has several girlfriends. First, there is my sister’s Rottweiler named Joey who lives a few miles from our house. Then Petey has girlfriends named Lela and Hope, both here in Phoenix. Both of these dogs are rescues looking for their forever home. Finally, Petey has a Facebook girlfriend, Gorgeous, the ‘ittie bittie Pittie,’ who lives in New York.”

Petey the One-Eyed Wonder has his own Facebook page where he works on a daily basis to help end Pit Bull discrimination, dog fighting, and finally to help other dogs find homes just as he found his. Petey has a new adopted brother now named Winston!

Become a fan at:
www.facebook.com/Petey-The-One-Eyed-Wonder