b'We asked Jo Maldonado, our animalcommunicator, to reach out to Rogue.She received the following informa-tion when she communicated withhim in July:As a young pup, I see him beingborn into the hands of some notvery nice people. It feels as thoughhe and his brothers and sisterwere bred to be used formoney-making purposes. There(Above): AJune follow-up at Skyway Animal Hospital in June does not feel to be any affection towards the dogs. Theyfor Rogue. (Below): Rogue begins his recovery in May.Photography by Tina K. VaLant. were fed sporadically, with food thrown on the ground in awho gets it first scenario. The dogs were fed for the pur-Everyone fell in love with Rogue. Even though he had to pose of fighting, so they could mature and be used forbe in extreme pain, he never exhibited any aggressive ten- sport. Rogues life as a puppy was rough. His young adultdencies.never bared his teeth, snapped or growled, duringyears, even more so.treatment or otherwise. Rogue always greeted us with histail wagging, said Dr. Slocumb. Hes truly a model I got a deep throbbing headache at the time of this ses-patient. We could not be more pleased with his progress. sion. I also get a feeling of Rogues underdevelopment, neu-We know Rogue and Tomeka are going to do something rologically, and unclear thinking for his age. There is confu-really special together.sion. Right now, he is still healing and has not come to fullLike most Pits and Pit mixes, Rogue is a lovernot a recovery. As he begins to feel stronger, his temper will befighter. He probably wasnt aggressive enough for the ring, shorter, his patience, even shorter. If placed in a situationso he was used as a bait dog. His extensive injuries would where there are children or other animals that he finds annoy-have raised a red flag with any reputable veterinarian, so he ing, he may, as a reflex, act out and bite. He is a strong being,was probably dumped on the busy corner, like a piece of with a soul that has been damaged spiritually and develop-trash. Dogfightingisoftenlinkedwithothercriminal mentally.Hisresponseisnothingpersonal,justareflex.activity including gambling, drugs and gangs. Dog fighting Regarding Cypress: he is not in favor of Rogues presence.is vicious, well-hidden, and dangerous. We are seeing more Rogue has been accustomed to being around other dogs cases because the plight of these dogs is being made more physically. At this point he is willing to tolerate Cypress. Therepublicwithmoreeducation. are no personal feelings toward either Tomeka or Cypress.Second Chance Fund provides He is not capable of this, as he has been programmed nota resource to assist in these spe-cializedcases,saidJennifer to attach.GallowayoftheGulfCoast He seems uncertain as to his present home and whetherHumane Society. Three severe he will stay there, be moved or something else. He is justcaseswererecentlyaccepted, going through the motions, as he knows no other way to per-includingonedogwhowas ceive life. Deep down under the layers of numbness, there isfound with his nose missing.what we humans would refer to as anger. This will come outI had a feeling Rogue eventually.IfRoguewereaperson,Iwouldsuggestlotswas sent to me on a mission. I of therapy.wondered what that would be.But first, I knew we had to get him healthy, said Tomeka. Jos Comments: She began a FaceBook page: Rogue the Incredible Bait Dog In this complicated world, there are countless days thatSurvivor. A friend started a fundraising account for Rogues present circumstances that we would like to change. Onecare. Well wishes, prayers and donations flowed in, as thing that continues to come across my desk as I speak toRogues story circulated throughout social media. clients, is we cannot control these circumstances.His veterinary care was totally covered by the generos- The only thing we can control is ourselves, our actions,ity of Skyway Animal Hospital and numerous donors.There are no words to express my gratitude for the our thoughts and our perception. We cannot stop someonekindness of strangers and people stepping in to help. It is my from dying. If it is their time, they will die. The ultimate deci-hope to return the favor by training Rogue to become a sion is between them and their Creator. And sometimes, eventherapy dog; an ambassador of hope and advocate against if we save someone,the tragedy of what happened to themdog-fighting. is so ingrained in their makeup, that they can never overcomeRogue and Tomeka are currently in training, working the horror of that in a way that we would like them to. Utoward Rogues CGC (canine good citizen) title. Uwww.TheNewBarker.com Summer/Fall ~ 2015 THE NEW BARKER 53'