Julia Szabo

Author,Columnist, Animal Advocate

The American Dog Reports

A lifetime of rescuing pit bulls can wind up being a small drop in a giant bucket: for every dog you bring to safety, thousands more are left behind. Still, New York Post "Pets" columnist Julia Szabo remains committed to pit rescue. "I love these dogs," she says. "I must have been a pit bull in a past life."

Her most recent success story is a handsome buckskin boy, brought as a stray to the animal shelter in Sulphur Springs, Texas, over a year ago. When Julia heard that "Shorty" faced death in a gas chamber, she arranged for him to be pulled and transported to Dallas/Fort Worth Airport, where Midwest Airlines flew the petite pit with the double-wide head to New York City. "Lazarus got his biblical name because he was raised twice," Julia explains. "First he cheated death, then he rose again on a Midwest plane!"

Julia has found new homes for many pit bulls, but Lazarus wound up being a keeper. "He's not crazy about other dogs, yet he treats my other dogs - and cats too - with respect. He genuinely wants to please me." One night, Julia was walking Laz later than usual; it was around 2 a.m. and the two were accosted by "an unpleasant man," she recalls. It was this encounter that would ultimately seal lucky Laz's fate.

"The guy boasted that he could make my dog bite me," she says. "A lot of dogs - especially males - do pay better attention to a man than to a woman, so I started walking faster. The guy kept following us; he tried hard to get my dog's attention, using his most authoritative, alpha-male tone of voice. I'll never forget how Laz stayed by my side the entire time, looking to me for direction. This dog showed me that he was as committed to me as I was to him. His permanent home is here with me."

For more information on Julia Szabo visit:
www.pet-reporter.com
www.animalhousestyle.com