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Rescue Pit Bull Loved by No One Until Police Officers Meet Her. Now, She's Licensed K9 Unit

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Pit bulls have a gotten a pretty bad reputation because of how they are portrayed by the media that sometimes leaves them in horrible situations.

Each year, 40 percent of the 1.2 million dogs euthanized every year are pit bulls, according to BarkPost. This breed is also one of the most common dog types that end up in shelters.

Wildflower was one of these dogs before she was rescued by the Throw Away Dogs Project. The nonprofit organization has a mission to “repurpose, train, and relocate ‘unique’ dogs to positively impact our communities.”

Before Wildflower was taken in by the rescue organization on July 25, 2017, she was found wandering the streets of South Carolina in 2015 when she was just 3 years old.

This pup was the very first pit bull to be put through the Throw Away Dogs Project’s police K9 program, and it didn’t come without challenges.

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“In comes this energetic pit bull that was so loveable but completely off the charts with the energy. … I knew the moment that we started testing her that this was not going to work out, because she evaluated horrible,” Throw Away Dogs co-founder Carol Skaziak told Metro. “… She was just not understanding the games of our training program.”

Despite the energy of this young dog, the training eventually clicked.

“Wildflower, from that day forward, excelled almost like no dog I’ve ever trained,” Throw Away Dogs head trainer Bruce Meyers told Metro in March. “Two months later, Wildflower is imprinted on all core narcotics.”



Wildflower eventually graduated from the program as a fully trained Narcotic Detection Dog.

And on June 13, the Throw Away Dogs Project posted an update on this sweet canine.

WIldflower is now Oklahoma’s first rescue pit bull K9 police dog! She is part of the Wetumka Polie Department.



“This dog was going to be euthanized,” Wetumka Police Department Chief Joe Chitwood told Metro. “All of that good was this close to being put down. But she has a lot more to give, a lot more. Hopefully, you can get some of the negativity away from the breed and show folks that it’s not that way.”

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Officer Wildflower even has her own Facebook page. We are glad to see this dog doing so well and are excited to see the positive impact she makes as a K9 officer.

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Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. A University of Oregon graduate, Erin has conducted research in data journalism and contributed to various publications as a writer and editor.
Erin Coates was an editor for The Western Journal for over two years before becoming a news writer. She grew up in San Diego, California, proceeding to attend the University of Oregon and graduate with honors holding a degree in journalism. During her time in Oregon, Erin was an associate editor for Ethos Magazine and a freelance writer for Eugene Magazine. She has conducted research in data journalism, which has been published in the book “Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future.” Erin is an avid runner with a heart for encouraging young girls and has served as a coach for the organization Girls on the Run. As a writer and editor, Erin strives to promote social dialogue and tell the story of those around her.
Birthplace
Tucson, Arizona
Nationality
American
Honors/Awards
Graduated with Honors
Education
Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, University of Oregon
Books Written
Contributor for Data Journalism: Past, Present and Future
Location
Prescott, Arizona
Languages Spoken
English, French
Topics of Expertise
Politics, Health, Entertainment, Faith




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