Tia Torres Quotes

In 2005, Tatanka lost her battle with cancer, unaware of her own greatness, the minds she changed, and the hearts she won. Without her, I would never have known what it feels like to bond with the greatest breed of dog in America. People call me a hero all the time, but the truth is that Tatanka—the buffalo, the bear, the chunky monkey—is the heroic one. Without her, there would be no Villalobos Rescue Center and certainly no Pit Bulls e Parolees. To her, | bow down with respect for one last ear washing.

I'd come from a place of distrust. I learned early to believe only in myself and to never rely on anyone. Duke changed that in me. | leaned on him and knew that he would always keep me safe. He put my feelings before his own. He knew what I was thinking before I did. He possessed the one attribute I’d never expected to find in anyone, man or animal: absolute loyalty. Duke was one of a kind, and there will never be another that will even come close to his greatness.

L.A. came “pre-named,” somewhat unoriginally, fit the city we both called home. When I first laid eyes on him, his tired body was blood soaked, and his ears ripped to pieces. I could see patches of white hair here and there, but it was impossible to determine his true color. During the drive home, every time I turned my head back to check on him, he’d give me a slow wag of the tail as our eyes met, as if to say, “You don’t need to worry... I'll be okay.