Louisville, Ky., resident and animal advocate Paula Sparrow is on a very important mission — to make one shelter dog’s dreams come true.
“I’m a big advocate for the underdog and like to root for them and cheer them on,” Sparrow tells WHAS11.com of her rescue pet buddy, Boss Man.
And Boss Man is the quintessential underdog, Sparrow explains.
“Boss Man has been a shelter dog for a year and a half,” Sparrow tells WDRB.com of the lovable 5-year-old white-and-black pooch she’s cared for as a volunteer at Tyson’s Chance, the Shelbyville all-breed animal rescue Boss Man has called home.
The amount of time Boss Man has spent living in a shelter kennel is unacceptable, Sparrow says.
“That’s too long. That’s just not right,” the dedicated volunteer says. “He deserves a family and I think it is his turn to find a home.”
In fact, Sparrow feels so strongly that her friend Boss should be the next dog to find his forever family the devoted Tyson’s Chance volunteer has decided to move in. For 48 hours straight, Sparrow camped out in Boss Man’s kennel, hoping to raise enough awareness to get Boss into a good home. Sure, living in a dog kennel makes for a challenging project, but for her, it’s worth it.
“There’s just something special about Boss,” Sparrow says. “I’m committed to doing whatever I can to reach out and find that perfect home for him.”
“I’ll be right in the kennel with him, except when he’s taken out for walks and potty breaks,” she adds.
When asked why she believes Boss Man has not been adopted yet, Sparrow says she has some theories.
“There are thousands of dogs just like Boss Man who are needing a home, but the shelters are all full,” Sparrow explains. “They’re all clamming for attention.”
But Sparrow and other volunteers at Tyson’s Chance think perhaps Boss Man’s breed — an American Pit Bull Terrier mix — has something to do with his difficulty in finding a good home.
“Because they are built for fighting, people are training them to do that,” Sparrow says of Pit Bulls, by far the most misunderstood dog breed and the media’s favorite canine scapegoat. “They get thrown away, tossed out into the street. An accident happens and suddenly it’s this huge story that a Pit has attacked somebody.”
Sparrow wants the world to know Pit Bulls and Pit mixes like Boss Man are people-pleasers, intelligent dogs who are easy to train.
“Look at this. Does this look like a vicious dog to you?” Sparrow says of Boss Man, with his goofy grin and happy personality. “He is the calmest, sweetest dog. He is socialized, civilized, obedience trained. He sleeps great in the bed. We’ve gotten along just fine.”
For more information about Tyson’s Chance, or to find out more about Boss Man, visit the Tyson’s Chance website or Like the organization’s Facebook page today.
Sources: WHAS11.com, WDRB.com, Tyson’s Chance Animal Foundation Inc.
