Pretty Watermelon.
That’s my pups full name on her papers. I call her “Melon” for short.
Melon is not only my best friend, but she is my kid. I treat her like I would treat my own child (if I had any). She is very moody, emotional, and has weird corny things about her. I know everything that there is to know about her.
That’s my pup in the car a few years ago.
Now before you ask… No… She’s not a pit bull. Shes a Lab Shar-pei mix.
Here’s the back story of my kid.
About 4 years ago I went to the Kalamazoo Animal Shelter in Michigan. I had every intention on getting a pit bull. I love pits. They are, in my opinion, the best dogs you could ever have.
Now the whole misinformed ideas of a pit bull make me mad. The way they are is always dictated by the owner. A great friend of mine is a county animal control officer and I could spend a good amount of time explaining the tortures that some animals go through to be fighters, but that’s a little off topic.
When I was walking down the line of kennels the emotions I felt were that of any animal lover. “OH I WANT THEM ALL!” going through my head. Every dog that I saw was more than excited to see me and were just begging for me to bring them home with me.
But that’s when I saw Melon. She actually had a “mildly aggressive” sign on her kennel. She looked so ashamed of herself when I first saw her. Her tail was so curled under her body that it could touch her nose. Her head was hung low with her eyes looking down. Something about her though made me want to have her. I stopped in front of her kennel until she got the courage to look up at me.
A worker at the shelter saw me standing in front of Melon. She said “she is just the prettiest dog I have ever seen. She has one heck of a story behind her though”. I asked her what was her deal and why she was marked as aggressive.
Now if anyone in a bigger city knows that there is always a “don’t go there” part of town. The animal control officer picked her up in a cardboard box on the corner of the street in that part. The officer believed that Melon was suppose to be bred as a fighting dog due to her looks of a pit but must of failed which is why she was ditched. When the officer approached her she started to growl and got really defensive.
Now at this point any normal person would of said “sorry, not for me” and walk away. But I felt deep down that she needed a second chance. The worker then said “it’s a shame really. I think she’s suppose to be put down in two days and no one wants her. She really is a beautiful dog though”.
I think I surprised her when I asked “can you take her out of her kennel. I want to meet her”.
So I had two workers watching over me while I did the meet and greet with Melon. I guess they didn’t want to take any chances.
Melon darted out of her kennel and immediately started to jump up at me. At first I was surprised but she just started to lick me like crazy with her tail whipping in circles like a windmill. It’s like she knew that I was going to be her one to give her a second chance. I just knew she had to be mine.
I told them that shes the one I wanted. They asked what I wanted to name her. I said “well her head is pretty big like a watermelon. I guess I’ll call her Melon”. The animal shelter called her “Pretty” thus is where Pretty Watermelon came from.
Once I took her home I started to find out all the crazy things about her. She hates water bottles being pointed at her. I think when she was abused as a puppy she must of had certain things pointed at her that hurt her. She gets really defensive about it.
She also hates guns.
Now I am a gun owner. I found this out one day when I got back from the shooting range one day. All I was doing was cleaning to pistol and shotgun. When I racked my shotgun once Melon immediately growled at me and started to show off her teeth. It wasn’t pointed at her but once she saw it she turned into something totally different. I guess its nice that she doesn’t like them. I just learned to keep her in another room when I clean my guns.
She loves to lean her body against people. She craves attention and physical contact. Every time I come home she loves to run at me, jump up, and then lean against me until I pet her. Every time I get in my bed or sit in a chair a part of her has to touch me. She is a very physical dog.
Lastly, she protects me. She never likes to be far away from me. She knows when I feel sad because she comes up to me with her head hanging low then just lays her head on my lap. She then gives me only one lick to let me know that she’s there for me. Any time there is a shady person around she growls at them. She knows when there is a friendly person because her tail goes out of control and once we get close to them she gives them the same licking spa treatment she would give me.
The only real problem is she cant get along with certain dogs. I think I’m slowly starting to get her used to dogs. Shes very playful with the neighbors dog though it took a while for her not to just immediately pounce the poor guy.
My lady has two pups of her own and someday they will all be friends. Then all 5 of us can spend the day together. I look forward to that every single day.
But nevertheless she is perfect. Every flaw and perfection about her is what makes her unique to me. I run with her, sleep with her, and play with her every day. She is there when I feel alone, shes my friend when I need one, and shes my crutch when I feel weak. Everyone should have a companion like her.
I also have 2 cats…
And that’s all I can say about them 🙂
Above and Below Average 