Public enemy to man’s best friend: Dog gets second chance

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http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/47017982/ns/today-good_news/#.T5LU5O1qP8s

Scooter never did anything wrong. But last July when a father and his teenage son strolled with their bikes along the Willamette River in Portland, Ore., a robber used the gray and white pit bull to mug them. It worked.

“He knew that the public generally is scared of these dogs,” Angela Adams, who rescues pit bulls for a living, told TODAY.com. “He knew he could scare them because of the stigma. He just used fear.”

Officers nabbed the robber and Scooter was taken to animal services, where shelter workers quickly ascertained that the bandit’s best friend — his “weapon” — wasn’t aggressive. Today, Scooter is a deliriously happy family dog and a specially trained therapy dog — but her journey from a life of crime to a life of romps and belly rubs wasn’t an easy one.

It’s common for pit bulls to get passed over at shelters, and Scooter languished in a kennel for seven months. During her stint behind bars, the once-cheerful pup became depressed and frustrated. At one point Scooter even snarled when another dog sniffed her — a behavior that was out of character for the laid-back dog.

[SammyWinstonJack]

1. Yay! Scooter!