Soul Dog Stories - Faith & Alice
You gotta have Faith.
She joined our family in the summer of 2008 as a foster pup with a big pink cast covering her broken elbow. From day one, she just fit.
Henry and I had fostered many dogs but knew Faith was a “keeper” from the moment we met her. She bonded instantly with our other pit bull, Lincoln. For the next 12 years, Faith and Lincoln were a pair, never one without the other.
For many of our friends and family, Faith and Lincoln were the first pit bulls they had ever met. The breed wasn’t common in our world growing up. But everyone who met the pair loved them and we saw how many minds were opened, and even changed about the breed, just by spending time with our two.
Even my sweet grandmother adored Faith and Lincoln and would let them hop into her bed for a snuggle. I remember feeling so proud when she would tell her little-old-lady friends what wonderful dogs pit bulls could actually be. Their minds were blown.
Faith and I communicate through eye contact, body language, and trust. She never needed any formal training. I swear she just listens and understands. She knows what I mean when I tell her to ‘sit,’ ‘wait,’ or ‘don’t eat my sandwich off the coffee table.’ She’s always watching me. When she’s not watching, she’s sleeping in my bed, snuggled up right beside me, always making sure we’re touching.
Faith is gentle and patient with our human children as well, and has acted as a surrogate mother to the many puppies we’ve fostered over the years. She can be ‘bossy,’ but I consider her a good and fair ruler. She keeps us in line and will actually leave the room if she’s upset.
Losing Lincoln in 2019 was devastating for Faith and our family, but having her around to lick away the tears has helped soften that blow. Lincoln’s legacy has lived on through her. I’m not sure how we’ll handle life once Faith is no longer with us, but I’m comforted to know they will be reunited someday.
And when that day comes, it will truly feel like the end of an era for our family.
- Alice N.