Leslie Smith: The Story of Timo the Pitbull

The cute puppies are adoption favorites at animal shelters, but older dogs with ailments and a story deserve loving homes, too. Leslie Smith has this Perspective.

Two years ago this month, I met Timo. You could find the broke-down pit bull in kennel 12 at the shelter where I volunteer. But even with his skinny frame and patchy blue coat, he was no shrinking violet.

Once, in a futile push to get him adopted, I described him as a gentle old man. It’s true, he was unfailingly gentle. And he was old — about 110 — judging by the foulness of his breath. But Timo was more salty sea captain than docile teddy bear. He’d get pushy if he suspected you were rationing his treats, and he’d blatantly sulk when you left his kennel. Even his bark was grizzled.

Still, I was completely smitten. We walked together nearly every afternoon, though with tattered back knees, distance wasn’t the point. On his peppiest days, we’d cover a few hundred feet; it would take us just under six hours. I’m exaggerating, but his glacial pace and singular focus were no joke. Sniffing each blade of grass is never a task for the undisciplined.

Timo lived for these strolls and the smells he’d uncover in the overgrown patches around the shelter. If that dog taught me anything, it’s to put your nose on every open inch of green, if that’s what moves you.

I know it’s not especially original. We’re constantly reminded to strive for bliss, even if it kills us. But somehow, the message doesn’t fully resonate until you see it in a ragged old dog at a shelter, grateful for every moment in the sun.

Right now, shelters around the Bay Area are packed. Many of the dogs are quite young — even puppies — of all sizes, makes and mixes. If you’re thinking of acquiring a pet, adoption is the most beautiful way to do it.

Timo never was adopted and his body continued to weaken. When he was no longer able to be kept comfortable, the shelter made the compassionate decision to let him go. I still think of him and wished he’d found a loving home. But I cling to the lessons he gave me: Breathing in the smell of the ground — knowing that it’s steady beneath you — must sometimes be enough.

With a Perspective, I’m Leslie Smith.

Leslie Smith is an advocate for pigs, pigeons, pit bulls, and the otherwise misunderstood. She lives in Oakland.