A pit bull who was once deemed unadoptable for supposedly being too energetic and then rejected several times more because of his breed has finally found a home. The pittie, named Apollo, is now putting his talents to great use as a drug-sniffing K9.
Animal control officers picked Apollo up as a stray puppy in Washington and sent him to a shelter so he could find a new family. For six months, he languished in his kennel, repeatedly passed over in favor of other dogs because of his rambunctiousness.
Eventually, Apollo found himself in danger of being euthanized to free up space at the facility. Thankfully, one concerned employee contacted a narcotics K9 trainer to see if they could make use of Apollo’s high energy for something productive.
The trainer agreed to meet Apollo and see if he had any potential. When the pittie passed his tests with flying colors, the trainer saw that he would make an excellent K9 officer and took him with her to the kennels of the Department of Corrections (DOC).
Sadly, the same thing happened to Apollo — but this time, he had to wait even longer. The pittie spent twelve long months at DOC, seeing one canine after another go to their respective police departments while he sat in his pen.
Apollo’s considerable talent did attract the attention of several officers during that time. However, since he was a pit bull, they were hesitant to pick him. Unfortunately, they, too, were influenced by the negative stereotypes associated with bully breeds.
Luckily for the pooch, the Tukwila Police Department contacted the trainer looking for a suitable narcotics K9. She immediately led them to Apollo, confidently saying the pittie would be top of his class — he only needed a chance to prove himself.
They gave Apollo that chance, and he did indeed turn out to be the best dog in training school. After his graduation, the pittie went on to work as Tukwila’s first drug-sniffing K9.
When the officers posted about Apollo on their official Facebook page, they were overwhelmed with appreciation and support. Tens of thousands of dog lovers commended the Tukwila police for considering the pittie’s skills instead of his breed.
Thus, the officers decided to bring Apollo to their Coffee with a Cop event so the public could meet the newest addition to the department. There, the pittie broke stereotypes once more by happily wagging his tail and giving kisses to everyone who greeted him.
The search is over for the once overlooked pit bull; he’s now getting the love he deserved from the start. Watch Apollo’s heartwarming story of second chances in the video below:
We fell in love with Apollo this year. He is the shelter dog turned officer for the Tukwila Police Department. #TBTREAD MORE >>> http://via.q13fox.com/pOBZI
Posted by Q13 FOX on Thursday, 5 October 2017
Source: Q13 FOX on Facebook and Tukwila Police Department on Facebook