The well-known dog rescue organization, Sidewalk Specials, has been through a lot over the years rescuing animals in need.
This time, they were ready for the challenge of saving a tiny life. When they met Pumpkin, a two-month-old Pitty puppy, the terrified doggy was shaking from head to toe.
Although they could immediately see that they had no easy task ahead of them, this only motivated them even more to help this little one get on the right path.
Overcoming His Fear
Little Pumpkin was met with an unfortunate fate right at the beginning of his life. He was barely two months old and he already had to leave his home because his owner could no longer support him, while his mother was taken to be sterilized at the same time.
When the people from Sidewalk Specials picked him up, they immediately took him to the vet, where they determined that Pumpkin was suffering from anemia, worms, and tick bite fever.
That’s why he spent the first week in treatment, where they gave him the necessary medication as well as a lot of TLC (Tender Loving Care). Throughout all this time, he was still in fear and shaking, but that started to change a little when he came to his new foster home.
“It took about a week. He stopped sleeping so much and being so shaky.” Rachael Sylvester, a founder of Sidewalk Specials, told The Dodo.
Then, finally, Pumpkin started to show his true colors. Everything he did was hilarious and very cute. When they held him in their arms, he made this strange little bird noise. The way he walked around the house and yard was no less adorable.
“He did this really cute thing where he’d bounce around like a rabbit!” Rachael said. “I’ve never seen a puppy hop like a rabbit!”
However, in the relationship with his new friends, they could truly see how adorable this puppy was.
“Pumpkin’s personality I would sum up as… Be my friend,” Rachael said.
That’s exactly how he behaved when he met his first canine friend, Riley, who was a bit tentative at first. But, the cheerfulness and playfulness that Pumpkin radiated attracted him like a magnet, and from that moment, they never stopped hanging out.
Nevertheless, Pumpkin himself most enjoyed the company of another friend whom he met afterward – and this one wasn’t a dog.
His Best Feline Pal
When Pumpkin met Maui, the cat, he immediately fell in love with this feline fellow. However, Maui was not very happy about this, at least in the beginning.
“At first, he wasn’t so sure what this thing was about,” Rachel said. “So they were very interested, but not in a playful way.”
He was like “I’m not gonna let him in too much”, but it could clearly be seen that Maui was slowly opening to the idea of them being friends. Pumpkin himself understood this, so he did not give up on this relationship. In the end, his persistence paid off.
“As soon as Pumpkin started getting his strength and starting to play, that’s when Maui was like, This is actually quite fun!” Rachael said.
Although Maui was never known for any particular playfulness, this small dog with a big heart managed to turn even him into a social butterfly.
Since then, the two became inseparable and enjoyed wrestling with each other most every day. Of course, that wasn’t some kind of fight or aggression, but rather a way of showing love to one another.
Through this relationship, both of them were able to come out of their shells and show the best of themselves.
Living The Best Life
The relationship with Maui was a turning point in Pumpkin’s life, and soon, this dog was turning a new page in his story.
That new chapter was the peak of his life journey. This Pitty who started as a small, frightened puppy shaking with fear was finally in his forever home and has never been happier.
“To see him now healthy, happy, setting such a good example for a rescue pit bull because they come with such a stigma,” Rachael said. “He is literally, like, the ideal dog.”
And, truly, Pumpkin can be an example to all other dogs, especially to misunderstood Pit Bulls, how it is possible to show everyone your true face – the gentle and loving one.
His relationship with his best feline fellow is perhaps the best testimony to that.