Alone and abandoned, this happy-go-lucky Pit Bull wandered the streets of North Conway until an encounter with a moving motor vehicle on Rt. 16 stopped him. Although he did not receive life-threatening injuries, he arrived at the Conway shelter in pain with a spiral fracture of the tibia. He was immediately taken to the Fryeburg Veterinary Hospital, but not before Animal Rescue League North staff had a chance to fall in love with his sweet, happy-go-lucky personality. Animal Care Technician Jackie Blake, a die-hard Lab lover, was particularly drawn to this charming dog.

“Studley,” as he was named by Fryeburg Veterinary staff, had his surgery and all went well. Jackie decided to take him home as a foster dog during his recovery period as he needed to be kept quiet during his healing process. She named him “Colby” after John Pritchard Colby, a dog breeder who recognized the qualities in the breed and brought them to the United States from England and Ireland in 1889. A “Colby dog” as they came to be called, were recognized for their temperament and versatility and became a popular breed as a family pet in the early to mid 1900s.

Whenever Colby goes to Fryeburg for his checkups everyone there celebrates his arrival with joyful cries of “Yay, Studley is here!” Jackie corrects them in a barely patient voice - “his name’s not Studley!” But the name has stuck with him as far as the Fryeburg Veterinary staff is concerned so Jackie grins and bears it.

With veterinary bills in the vicinity of $1200, and after eight weeks in a cast, Colby is now walking on his leg. He still has a pin in the leg, but with TLC from Jackie, ARLNH-North shelter veterinarian Dr. Monique Kramer, and Dr. Johnson and the gang at Fryeburg, Colby is one happy dog with a bright future.

No surprise that after two months of caring for Colby (who has pretty much stolen Jackie’s heart), it looks like he will be a permanent member of her family. “We have been working on not chasing the cats and basic good manners, and he is doing very well and has made lots of progress,” Jackie reports.

All shelters, and Conway is no exception, receive their fair share of Pit Bulls as strays, surrenders and rescues. Since the publicity of their use in dog fighting and even as bait dogs for fighting dogs, the breed has begun to be more recognized for their intelligence, loving nature and willingness to learn. We hope that more people do as Jackie has done — celebrate the long journey the breed has taken from fighting dog to valued family pet.

Photo caption: The staff of the Animal Rescue League of NH-North pose with Colby.