Taco, Detroit, MI
Whassssssup Turds! It’s me, Taco!
I am the biggest diva of the #367 survivors, and am on a mission to show the world that you don’t need no braces to look sexy 😉
See, what happened was, in August of 2013, 367 dogs were saved from the second largest dogfighting raid in US history.
Among those? Yours truly.
I prefer to believe mine was a gold chain, not those dingy rusted metal ones like everyone else’s. While at the HSUS shelter, I preferred to shout expletives at everyone until they cleaned up my poop, and, clearly, preferred to be in my own space…far away from those servants, like my mom, caring for me.Â
And then the worst thing happened. While I was awaiting my knight in shining armor to give me the home I always deserved, one of my poop cleaners put a thunder shirt and freedom harness on me, put me in a crate with a gosh awful homemade fleece (FLEECE) blanket, at took me to freezing cold Michigan.Â
From then on out, I have endured kibble almost every day of my life (yeah yeah yeah…bully sticks, too). Only when new lowly folk are in my presence do I receive the nectar of the gods…spray cheese.
I’ve put on a few pounds and developed seasonal alopecia, probably because I was forced to move where there is, like, no sun half of the year. And I’ve gotten a lot braver since I discovered how sexy I truly am. Confidence is key, people.Â
My one hope is to ensure that dogs that came from my same background make it into a home, unlike mine, where they receive the steak they deserve daily. Where their blankets are made of nothing but cashmere. And that they never, EVER, are forced to potty in the snow.
And also, for everyone to know, it’s not less sexy to go out in public in a stroller, ok?
And for all my doggie homies, if you pretend like you are too scared to walk outside, someone will literally push you around like the royalty that you are.
You are welcome.Â
Taco
Parent: Kelly
About #BarkNation & #TeamZomo:
On February 23, 2014, two of the Bark Nation board members set out on a journey to transport three of the most fearful survivors from the #367 Multi-State Dogfighting case to Michigan. They had spent countless weeks volunteering at the HSUS temporary shelter for these amazing survivors over the 6 months that our boys resided there — reading to them, singing to them, attempting to calm their fearful trembling, and promising them that there was a very real place in this big world for three fearful guys that had made no wrong choices in their lives.
These boys would become known as #TeamZomo [Zander, Homer and Taco], and would pave the way for many cruelty survivors to find reprieve with Bark Nation.
To say these three have surpassed any expectation is an understatement. They learned to trust quickly, found reprieve in playing with each other (and others), found their courage (man, did they become brave), learned how to demand bark and counter surf with the best of ’em. And snuggle! They love to snuggle!
They go on walks without low-crawling, play with toys, go belly-up and even potty outside [most of the time … yes, they are talking about this guy, Taco 🙂 ]. In a society where Bark Nation cannot save them all, these three stand as a pillar of hope and strength that we are capable of more than we think.
In two short years, #TeamZomo quickly expanded and Bark Nation have collaborated with dozens of shelters to provide enrichment opportunities and hosted free spay/neuter and wellness clinics in the city of Detroit.
Bark Nation also partners with colleagues from across the nation to form a rescue team to offer reprieve to hundreds, if not thousands, of survivors of contract level dogfighting; and rescue many beautiful, amazing souls still tethered to their heavy chains, 55 gallon drums and dirt circles.
For every dogfighting survivors, we celebrate the first time they…
put their feet on grass,
walked through a threshold,
climbed those pesky stairs,
played with each other,
took treats from a human’s hands,
asked for affection…
And every single kiss and tail wag since.
#EndDogFighting