How Duke Came Into My Life
Given that Duke is a huge part of my life and social media, I figured I would let you guys in on how he came into my life and what our life is like now!
His name hasn’t always been Duke, and he hasn’t always been mine. Originally adopted in Miami, Florida by my now ex-boyfriend, it was thought that he had been used in dog-fighting rings as a bait dog because of his extensive scars, incredibly passive demeanor, and cowering when you raise a hand near him. Bait dogs are trained to not fight back, they essentially are put in the ring to get beat up in order to get the fighting dog ready for its actual fight. I have literally seen dogs go after him when we’ve been hiking on a trail and Duke won’t protect himself or fight back, its really quite sad to see.
After adopting him and naming him Taz, my ex then moved Taz and his two other dogs, a golden and a husky, to Texas to live on a 2,500 acre game ranch. This is where I came into Taz’s life. I moved to Texas in January of 2018 and Taz and I immediately bonded. Having owned a pitbull mix before, I knew how to interact with him in a way that he didn’t feel threatened and began to feel safe around me. He soon became my shadow and couch cuddle buddy. My ex liked the energetic demeanor of his husky and golden retriever more than Taz’s calm, protective, attention-seeking personality so he eventually let me adopt Taz from him. When my ex and I broke up and I left Texas, Taz came with me and I changed his name to something more fitting of his handsome, commanding presence. Duke.
Now Duke and I do quite literally everything together; my friends have gotten in the habit of asking for tables on the patio so that Duke doesn’t have to sit in the car when we go to lunch. Because of his calm demeanor and extensive training, I can put him in any situation and he sticks nearby and is incredibly well-behaved. Whenever I travel with him, I usually get kids and toddlers that come over and pet him, pull on his tail or ears and he just gives out kisses in return. His shyness, passive behavior and affection have earned him the nickname “Mr. Softy.”
I can’t imagine my life without this furry shadow and am incredibly grateful for getting to have him in my life!