Dante

May 28

Written By Kathryn .

The EveryDay K9 was inspired by one extraordinary dog, Dante.

Dante came into my life by chance in February of 2017. At the time, I was volunteering at The Wake County Animal Center (WCAC) multiple times per week. Back then, I was fostering pit bulls as well as helping with “playgroups” for dogs not in foster care. At WCAC, there are multiple rooms full of dogs looking for their new homes. Outside the door of the room with all of the newest dogs, is the play yard. On that February evening, just as the shelter was closing at 6pm, we left the play yard and were walking out through the dog room. It’s important to note that this dog room has two aisles, so you have to choose to walk down the right or the left to exit the room. I chose left. As I reached the end of the aisle, just before the door to head out into the main hallway, there he was.

A beautiful blue pitbull puppy with kind blue eyes, cropped ears, and a quiet energy sat looking up at me. Did I mention he was huge? The shelter had guessed him at 10 months old (likely because he was already 65 lbs), but I took one look at him and immediately knew he was more like 5 months old! He was such a handsome dog, so even though getting another dog was not in my plans, I figured “why not go in and hang out with him for just a minute?”. Little did I know, that choice would be one of the most impactful things I ever did. Upon entering the kennel, I not only saw a sweet, stunning dog, but a dog with the kindest, calmest energy I had ever encountered in such a young dog. I immediately knew he was a special dog. I went directly to the front desk and placed a deposit on him.

Dante, who was at the time “Key West” at the shelter, didn’t have much of a back story, just the account of the people who found him and brought him into the shelter. They said that they were sitting at a red light on Capital Blvd (a large 8 lane road) when another car pulled up, opened their back door, and pushed a giant puppy out of the back seat. When the light turned green, the people drove away without looking back. The people that were next to him at the light, pulled him up in their car and proceeded to finish the 1 mile drive to take him to the shelter.

On Valentine’s Day 2017, Dante came home with me and was officially mine. Even though I knew he was special, I had no idea the impact this remarkable dog would ultimately have on my life over the next 6 years.

Lo and behold, this “10 month old” puppy proceeded to gain 45 lbs and ended up being a whopping 110 lbs. Convinced he must be some sort of mastiff mix, I assumed Cane Corso, I sent out a DNA test. When the test returned that he was 100% American Staffordshire Terrier (one of the breeds commonly called a pitbull), I was floored.

I think it is important to note that for as kind and sweet as Dante was, for as amazing as his energy was, he was not a dog to which manners came naturally. Those manners had to be learned and it was always a battle for him to contain his excitement when meeting new people. Dante never met a stranger, whether it be an adult, a child, a dog, a cat, or any other animal for that matter.

His calm and quiet, but confident energy combined with his looks drew everyone to him, dogs and humans alike. Over his 6 years of life, Dante perfected his obedience to the point where he rarely required a leash, unless necessary in public, and could go literally anywhere with me with complete ease.

Dante accompanied me on vacation trips to other towns including Columbia SC, Savannah GA, Knoxville TN, and countless trips to the NC and VA mountains. He joined me on trips to the store for hardware supplies, and out to lunches and dinners on patios. He moved with me to 3 different houses. Most importantly, he partnered with me in all of my dog training. He attended private lessons, joined us on practice walks around Shelley Lake, tagged along to help boost puppy’s confidence while acclimating them to new environments, and collaborated with me to help board and train dogs with their issues. He never failed to set a good example for calm, appropriate behavior.

A fun fact about Dante, one of his true loves was the water. To say that boy LOVED to swim, would be an understatement. I know what you’re thinking… “How can a 110 lb dog as dense and poorly proportioned as him even stay afloat?”. Trust me, that was my question too. The first day I brought Dante to the lake, he was so gung ho about getting in, I was so nervous I started taking my shoes off thinking I might have to go in after him to help, but there he was, swimming as gracefully as ever. He was some sort of majestic combination between a hippopotamus and the Loch Ness Monster when he was in the water. Dante would literally swim for hours, and I don’t mean wading around, I mean literally swimming in circles in the middle of the lake. All you could see was his big head and the tip of his tail. He loved to jump off of docks (dock diving was his favorite sport, he may not have been good at it, but he loved it!), dive for sticks, and splash around with his friends. It never failed that his confidence would encourage other dogs that were unsure about the water to get in and give it a go!

Over his 6 years, Dante met and helped nearly a thousand dogs. He impacted just as many people, if not more. It never failed that people would say one of five things after meeting Dante…

“If you ever need someone to watch him, or take him, I will! Please, please, please!”
“That is the biggest head I have ever seen!”
“I never thought I would meet a dog that changed my mind about pitbulls!”
“I can’t thank you and Dante enough for all of your help!”
“This is the most amazing dog I have ever met!”

Unfortunately, Dante’s time on this earth was cut short. At 6 years old, he developed degenerative disc disease which caused him to rapidly lose his ability to use his legs. After tens of thousands of dollars and countless attempts at medical and surgical intervention, there wasn’t anything that could give my boy the quality of life he deserved, and I had to make the difficult decision to let him go.

There is still a giant hole in my heart, my house, and my life where he is missing. I lost not just my dog but my friend, my “handsome”, my trusted and bombproof coworker, my right hand man, my constant shadow, my rock for the last 6 years. Dante was my heart dog, 100%. He was and will always be the sweetest, kindest soul.

Dante was a once in a lifetime dog, and I am so so glad our paths crossed and he came into my life. I had no idea what our bond would become when I happened upon his handsome face at the shelter that February evening in 2017, but I am forever grateful.

I miss you handsome, I truly hope that you are somewhere swimming to your heart’s content.

Kathryn .