TIA - Pawrent: Joe & Beth Pike
Tia: Our son Taylor rescued a little pit bull named Tia in Boone, North Carolina while he was in college. Tia had already been returned to the shelter twice when Taylor found her. He brought her home and tried his best for about a week, but quickly realized she was more than he could handle. He considered taking her back—until he thought about what that would mean for Tia’s future. Before making that decision, he called his mom, Beth, knowing she understood the consequences a third return to the shelter could bring for Tia. After talking it through, Taylor and Beth agreed that Tia would be better off coming to live with us. The challenge, however, was that we already had two rescues: Nala, a Cane Corso mastiff, and Archie, a German shepherd mix. Both were older and well-established members of the family. Tia, on the other hand, arrived as a bit of a bully—she barked constantly and wasn’t big on sharing. The transition wasn’t easy. It took nearly a year before the other four-legged members of the household truly accepted her.
Tia has gone through many transitions since then, even within our family. In her third year with us, we lost Nala. Over time, Nala had become a mother figure to Tia, and you could see how deeply that loss affected her. Then, two years ago, she lost her best friend Archie, and that loss weighed on her even more. After Archie passed, Tia became increasingly anxious whenever she was left alone or when anyone left the house. Our veterinarian eventually put her on Prozac to help manage her anxiety, and it truly made a difference— her quality of life noticeably improved.
Beth felt strongly that Tia needed a companion, so about a year after Archie’s passing, we decided to rescue another four-legged friend. That’s when Danny, a young and very spirited Great Dane, joined our family. Once again, Tia’s world changed. It took some time, but today Tia and Danny are finally friends. She now has a younger brother—and her storycontinues to grow.