I recently met Hayley at a Pet Photo Shoot Fundraiser and I knew she would make a great addition to the Pit Bull Picture Project. The goal of the project is to show how goofy and lovable Pit Bulls are to inspire more adoptions. You can sign up for Pit Bull Picture Project updates using the form at the bottom of Hayley’s story.
Hayley was adopted from Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center in Tampa, Florida back in 2013. Hayley has a human brother and she picked him out at the shelter by licking his hand as he walked by. He unfortunately received an unprovoked bite in the face by a relative’s dog when he was 6 years old and was timid around dogs after that experience.
“The fact that he wanted to add a dog to our family, I felt it would be a great way for him to get over his fear and realize that dogs can be great companions and family members,” said Jenny Rodriguez, Hayley’s human Mom. “We walked up and down the rows of kennels at the shelter and looked at several dogs, finding Haley. We were standing next to her kennel, overwhelmed with all of the great dogs looking for their forever families, when she licked my son’s hand through the kennel. He instantly knew she was the one he wanted.”
Hayley’s kennel had a pink slip of paper on it and they knew that it meant she was in danger of being euthanized within a few days. Jenny’s husband was skeptical about adopting Hayley because she was a pit bull and the negative stereotypes he was familiar with.
“We were able to convince him that she would make an ideal family member with the help of the shelter staff. She passed all the extra assessments she was given as a pit bull with flying colors ” said Rodriguez.
Hayley is a wonderful, loving family member and is very social and friendly with any guest that comes to the Rodriguez home, including humans and other dogs.
“We have fostered 2 other pit bulls from the shelter, and she has welcomed them into our home without any issues. She even gets along well with our 2 cats. She has the reputation of being the friendliest dog on the block. Several of the neighborhood dogs are her friends, and they come over to run around and play in the yard. We truly are grateful that we adopted her!” Rodriguez told AGoldPhoto.
