Tater | DoC | Reference

Name: Tater
Gender: Male
Age: Adult
Orientation: Heterosexual

Breed: Pit bull terrier mix
Status: Fixed
Height: 19 inches (48.3 cm)
Weight: 56 lbs (25.4 kg)
Build:  Tater is of a typical pit bull build with a big head and well muscled body. He has a large blocky head, a large nose and cropped ears. Some chub in the neck and stomach region with an average-sized chest and barrel that tapers off. Slightly shorter legs than normal with bony feet and a tail that wags for eternity. He's usually very intentional with his gait but when he gets really excited he will fumble around clumsily out of happiness.

Region: Domestic
Faction: Pets
Job: Assistance Dog
Rank: Delta
Canidale Points: 295 CP

Family: 
        Parents: N/A
        Siblings: N/A
        Other: N/A

        Mate: N/A
        Offspring: N/A

Personality: 

Adventerous
Tater has a strong curiosity streak and loves to investigate the unknown or even the known. He enjoys finding odd things on walks with his girl and loves to wander around and find new places and new faces. 

Enthusiastic
Tater is typically very enthusiastic about pretty much everything. New place to go? YAY! Going to the park? WOO!! Have to get a bath? *questionably* Yay??? But really, he's very optimistic despite everything that has happened to him and likes to find the good in everything and everyone. He's got a very youthful demeanor and can seem childlike at times. 

Caring
Tater is a super sweet and loving and loves to take care of things. He has a strong maternal/paternal drive and especially loves puppies and kittens. He adores his job and is very fond of taking care of his girl. He's pretty much willing to help anybody if he thinks it will make that person happy.

Unaggressive 
Part of what made Tater so qualified to be a service dog is he was friendly towards pretty much everyone. He's not aggressive or dominant really in any way. He can be slightly protective of his girl if he finds it to be necesarry but other than that he's very affable. While he is protective of his girl, if someone threatened him, since he's so unaggressive chances are he wouldn't protect himself. 

Boisterous
Tater can be really rowdy when not in a professional setting. He loves to bark and howl and to run around the house and make his girl laugh with his silly antics. He has a lot of cheerful energy to give in most situations but can be seen as overly rowdy or overly-exciteable by most people. 

Clumsy
Tater is decidedly clumsy. In his excitement or optimism, he won't see a rock or even a wall in path and will typically trip or run into objects that he didn't notice in time. He can be awkward when doing things for the first time or when moving really fast or energetically. 

Guileless
Unfortnately Tater's optimistic attitude about people can lead him into easy deception and he's not cunning in really any way. He has no reason to be deceptive or slyly intelligent. In this way he can be a bit naive and although he knows what bad people and dogs look like, impish or elusive behavior can go right over his big ol' happy head.




Pre-Group History: 
Tater was born to the name 'Butch' and spent most of his puppyhood on the "streets". He had an 'owner' but he was rarely around and didn't plan for puppies. His ears were cut with scissors when he was 6 weeks old to make him look 'tough'. The rest of his littermates either were stolen or passed from illness or unfortunate incidents. Tater's momma fought hard to keep them all alive but as they grew older, Tater and one of his sisters was all who were left. When he was only a few months old, they had been completely abandoned by their owner and were snatched up by a group of street dog fighters. They wanted a female for breeding and took his mother and sister for that. Since Tater had survived so long, through everything, when he was 6 months old they threw him into the ring to see if he would fight, thinking he was a tough dog. He was absolutely terrified and cowered in fear as the other dog assaulted him. When the thugs figured out that he was submissive and overly friendly towards other dogs and humans they began to use him as a bait dog to try and get other newcomers to fight. They would tape his muzzle shut and throw him into the ring with the other new fighters to test their aptitude for a good brawl. Some passed the aptitude test. On the day that the authorities finally came to shut down the ring of dog fights, he was thrown into the ring with a professional fighter and was going to be left there as a prize for the winner. He was near death when the authorities finally came in and rescued him as well as the other 47 dogs that were part of the horrible cycle of treachery. He was taken to a critical care hospital where he spent months getting rehabilitated. They named him Tater because of his coloring and because everyone loved him. Once he could leave the watchful eye and constant intensive care of the vets, he was put through behavioral testing to see if he would be suitable for adoption.

He passed behavioral testing with flying colors. His lil' tail wouldn't stop wagging and he loved other dogs and cats and humans as well, especially kids. They had a similar energy to him and liked to play. His recovery wasn't quite over but he was growing to be more trusting and happy. The lil' brown pit bull was put into a foster home when he was one year old and showed the traits that made a good therapy dog. He had an obedient and gentle and caring nature. When he was finally deemed ready, he was put up for adoption with hope for being certified as a therapy dog. That's when they arrived! Well, not really. They found him while looking at the shelter's adoption website. The family and little girl with TLE (temporal lobe epilepsy) fell in love with his cute face and personality. They drove halfway across the country, anticipating the moment that they would meet him. Tater was ecstatic when he met Rylie and they immediately clicked. The pit bull finally figured out what real love was like. He couldn't handle how amazing the feeling was, to be loved by someone and to love someone! Rylie who suffered from seizures and unable to find a medicine that would treat it for the moment was in need of someone who could be around for her along with her parents and possibly alert her of an oncoming seizure. But she also needed a good friend. They hired a professional company to help train Tater to do the work he needed to know to comfort and care for Rylie.

The pit bull caught on quickly and after a couple years, completed his training and earned all his certificates and his official vest. Tater and his family were so excited that he had made it so far from where he had been. Many people came and left their lives when they judged Tater because of his breed and appearance but he proved everyone wrong with his impeccable performance and sweet personality. Despite his scars, cropped ears, and intimidating appearance, his tail is always wagging and there's almost always a smile plastered on his big ol' pitty face. He had found a new purpose in caring for his girl and having a family to love and be loved by. He continues to live happily with them now, helping to comfort and alert Rylie during her illness.

  

Currency Log:
Tater Currency Tracker | DoC




Other:
Tater's Playlist
Tater's Service Vest
Reference Updated 4/28/18

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