A young adult male singer with 'BERTO' on his shirt stands next to a young adult female wearing a smartwatch outdoors amidst green grass. 3:13
The Dodo channel icon The DodoOriginal creator 577K views Save

How a foster brother got a shy pit bull to play

Veronica found the puppy on one of the main roads in Raleigh. She was a stray pit bull, so shy she crawled along the ground, and she would soon be called Roo. more

Roo was not sure about eye contact yet. Even so, Veronica could tell the puppy was curious and wanted attention. And curled up and shy as she was, Roo still wagged her little tail.

Every new foster in Veronica's house gets the same slow start, so Riot, her other foster dog, didn't meet Roo right away. The day after Roo arrived, the two met through a barrier, and their tails wagged, which Veronica says is always a good sign. Over the next couple of days, Riot got to sniff her.

Before long they were sharing the yard. Then Veronica had to take Roo out of it again. Her mange had gotten so bad that her skin was rough with scabs, and she was really skinny too.

A light-colored puppy with scabs on her head lies on green grass, looking toward the camera. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Mange had left the skin on Roo's head badly scabbed.

So Roo got medicated baths every couple of days. After a handful of weeks her skin cleared up, the scabs went away and she slowly put on weight. Soon the puppy who had crawled along the ground was asking for pets and belly rubs, which told Veronica that Roo trusted her.

One day the foster siblings got back together. They looked at each other and paused, and then they started to play. That was when Veronica knew Roo was going to be okay. Riot helped teach her that things were all right and that people weren't scary.

A young adult male singer with 'BERTO' on his shirt stands next to a young adult female wearing a smartwatch outdoors amidst green grass. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Veronica found the puppy on one of the main roads in Raleigh.

Now Roo's personality had room to show. Her name is a play on kanga-rooster. She hopped around like a kangaroo, and when she howled, it came out sounding like a rooster, which Veronica says sums her up. The two dogs even got dressed up in bunny costumes at one point, a good look for a puppy who hopped everywhere.

Through all of it, Veronica says, Roo stayed playful and loving. Now she has a forever family that Veronica calls a really good fit. Veronica is a little sad, but she sees it this way: "Saying bye to one dog means I get to say hello to another."

#pitbull#puppies