When I first got Addie, I received a lot of negative attention. For those who don't know, Addie, my lab-pit bull-sharpei, was rescued at 3.5 months. She was picked up off the street, and had obviously been abused and had not eaten well, ever. She was a bone thin 11 or 13 lbs. She was also very skiddish and had demodetic mange (not contagious). People didn't say much, but they really sent me the evil eye. I felt like I needed a sign that said :

"I just adopted this puppy. She was mistreated before, but I am taking good care of her and she is eating well. Please check back in two weeks to see how she is doing. Thank you."

I would get an occasional gasp of horror or a refusal to pet her and comments like,

"WAS SHE LIKE THAT WHEN YOU GOT HER?"

It was a bit stressful, but all I cared about was getting my pup healthy.

Addie is now 60 lbs of pure muscle (thanks to the pit bull in her) with a shiny black coat. She is super healthy. We sometimes get an

"EEK, IS THAT A PIT BULL?"

Of course, when people think she's a lab the reaction is completely the opposite! Usually, the comments are about how pretty and sweet she is.