A light brown and white American Pit Bull Terrier mix with darker markings on its face and body, standing near a netted surface under natural daylight. 4:11
The Dodo channel icon The DodoOriginal creator 3.6M views Save

Hammock time for a pit bull foster dad

She was the size of his paw and weighed 16 ounces. Atlas weighs 120 pounds. She grabbed his face and his tail and bit him anyway. more

"I knew Atlas would be a wonderful foster dad," his owner says, "because he's just a sweet giant." He was special from the start. At the animal shelter he was the cutest little thing, with big blue eyes, and it was love at first sight.

One day his owner brought some foster kittens home to see how Atlas would do. As soon as they arrived, "he knew they were his." They snuggled against him. They even tried to nurse on him, and the look on his face is all patience.

A large gray and white dog looks ahead while a small brown animal nuzzles under his chin. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
A tiny foster nuzzles up under the big dog's chin.

"It really helped the kittens feel like they had a dad." Atlas does the job his own way. He likes to hold toys for the others to chew on. He will grab a branch and simply hold it while the other dogs gnaw away, which his owner calls hilarious.

A baby bird, a turtle and a puppy have all been part of the crew. Atlas has a caring way with every one of them. At one point a little one makes off with his toy, and Atlas gets a gentle nudge. "Okay, share."

A large dog holds a small puppy close under a canopy on a patio, with grass behind them. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Atlas keeps a small puppy close in the shade of the patio.

A day of foster work wears a dog out. At the end of it, Atlas decided the hammock in the backyard would be a really good place to relax. Nobody taught him. "I couldn't keep him out of it," his owner says. "So, I just let him."

He brings his favorite toys along, from a soccer ball to his squeaky toys to a baseball. This is the one place he keeps for himself. If he finds a foster in it, the message is plain. "This is my hammock, and you need to get out now."

A light brown and white American Pit Bull Terrier mix with darker markings on its face and body, standing near a netted surface under natural daylight. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
She was the size of his paw and weighed 16 ounces.

Some nights his owner gets home from work after dark, opens the door and sees two glowing eyes out in the backyard, swinging away. "What are you doing out here? It's dark outside. You can't sleep out here." People are quick to judge Atlas by his size and his breed. The kittens never did.

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