Here's where Bruce met his momma, Trish --

-- this was definitely a "moment" -- !!

And here are Trish and Dan --

-- they are experienced pit bull owners who live on Cape Cod --

-- and who have NO problem making their boy a social figure, plus parading him as an example of responsible pit bull ownership -- !!

Little Kate, formerly Jezebel, is also shown here. Her story is here.

Now for the hard part --

-- Dan and Trish wait patiently for a couple of weeks, while the babies finish their charm school (ie, puppy socialization!) --

-- and also while they also get their spays and neuters.

A detail of the spay / neuter surgery for this litter can be found here.

Next, I load up everyone in the van, and we're off --

-- this is no ordinary van, mind you -- !!

It's a vintage 1986 army bus, that I bought from a church in Stamford --

-- when I bought it, the pastor blessed me, blessed the vehicle and blessed my dogs, and that we would have successful journeys to come.

What he didn't tell me is that it got 8 mpg -- !!

Each pup gets her own seat, complete with crate and window-view!

... and camp outdoors overnight.

Here, Spud's saying, "You think this is nuts? Don't even get me started -- I've had 8 years of it -- !!"

We leave the Adirondacks, and are off to the Cape.

The Adirondacks are the most beautiful part of the world I know --

-- if you ever get a chance, head to the High Peaks Region and Lake Placid -- it's heaven on earth -- !!

He can't HELP but gloat a little bit on these --

-- this is a great sign that we're in the money on this home visit -- !!

This boy will be here for GOOD, that I know -- !!

Outside, Bruce shows off his eyes, which are still baby-blue --

-- usually pups' eyes turn from light to dark, so it'll be interesting to see how handsome he gets -- !!

-- and we're done.

Little Bruce is as photogenic as his momma, and this journey was well worth it -- !!

Here's to Dan and Trish, who went to great measures to adopt Bruce --

-- you can see, he's fitting in like a pea in a pod, that's for sure -- !!

I journey home, and little Bruce's new life has just begun -- !!

Puppy placements to me are more difficult than adult placements. While I get more applications for puppies, they are a harder match because I want to be sure this pup will still be in the same great home a many years from now, after he undergoes his personality and size transformation -- !!

With adults, the growing is already done, and people pretty much know what they're getting --

-- thus, the crux of puppies --

Dan writes --

"We've had Bruce for three weeks now and we absolutely LOVE him!!!!

He's such a good boy and is so smart. He loves to lie in the in the yard in the sun ( he has his favorite spot ) and loves to cuddle on the couch with us at night. ( Boy can this boy snore !!! ) We think he really likes his new home :)"

"He's already sitting on command. He knows "cookie" and "poopie" and when you say "Who's that", he runs right for the door. We can't wait until he starts Puppy Kindergarten. He's such a quick learner!!!!

He's doubled his weight in the three weeks we've had him. He was originally 8 lbs. when he arrived and is now 16 lbs. We think he's going to be a big boy. His paws are huge and his little muscles are starting to come out.

We took him to the beach on Sunday and he had an absolute blast. We were there for seven hours!!! ( Don't worry, he was loaded with sunblock :) )"

"He VOLUNTARILY took his first swim and was a natural. It was the coolest thing to witness. Unfortunately, we didn't have the camera on us at the time but we'll capture it for you the next time it happens!"

"He has tons of new friends to play with to get him socialized (4 Pits) and we've enclosed some picture of him and Bambi, a 7 year old female pit, frolicking on the beach.

Well, time to wrap this up... basically, we absolutely love this boy! He has already brought so much joy to us. We can't thank you enough for bringing him into our lives. You do such great work. Keep it up. We promise to keep you posted."

Well, if these aren't great words -- !!

Besides just loving on their boy, Dan and Trish are socializing him and helping him grow up smart through obedience --

-- LOVELY -- !!

The next update --

"We've had a great summer with him. We can't believe we've only had him 4 months it feels like he's been a part of our little family for so much longer."

Thank you again for everything, Dan & Trisha"

Well, the summer days couldn't be long enough for this boy --

-- he loves his beach-time, and Dan and Trish have him loaded up on sunblock to protect him --

-- GREAT WORK -- !!

Here, Bruce looks at the camera almost saying,

"Day after day, I am thankful for this home --

-- I'm in HEAVEN" -- !!

Nice SPBR shirt too, Dan -- !!

Another update -- !!

"We've had an exciting month. We took a trip to Niagara Falls. We did a lot of hiking and Bruce had a blast chasing all the squirrels in the parks. He also made the local paper."

"He was in a Halloween dog fashion show at the village fall festival. We thought it was great they chose to put his picture in the paper over all the cockapoos and yorkies :)"

Here's our boy, in his Halloween attire --

-- thus, Super Bruce -- !!

This is one of my best placements. I am so happy for the updates, for the responsibility and for the loving home that this little angel got --

THANK YOU to Trish and Dan for giving Bruce a safe haven from an otherwise tough world on pit bulls --

-- through your example, you're doing wonders to help this breed and to show people how these pups, owned responsibly, can be a great addition to the family --

-- THANK YOU!