In the late summer of 2018, Jess Burton received an urgent request regarding an aggressive pit bull. Training dogs, and their owners, was something he was good at. But this situation seemed out of his league. With euthanasia looming, Jess made a choice. He and a dog named Sophie would soon be inextricably linked.
“Sophie looked as if she might kill me,” Jess recalled of his first face-to-face with the frustrated, fearful, two-year-old pit bull. “The owner had to submit her to get her to stop lunging and barking,” he said of the manner in which the dog was pinned to the ground.
Sophie had been rescued as a puppy from Northeast Animal Shelter by a couple who had since broken up. The current owner admitted to never wanting the dog. A picture of Sophie, a playful puppy, submissively lying on her belly, told more of the story.
“There was no love and there was terrible neglect,” Jess said. “I knew there was a sweet dog inside Sophie. I knew I had to get her out of there and try to improve her life before it was too late.”
With two cats and three dogs of his own, bringing her home in her heightened state wasn’t an option. Instead, Jess committed to working daily with Sophie and her owner.
Two weeks passed before Jess was able to take the leash from the owner and walk alongside Sophie. She had never learned that it was okay to interact with people or dogs.
“Once she learned I could keep her safe on her walks, she started making improvements,” Jess said.
Before long, Sophie tolerated longer visits, and overnights when the owner needed to travel, sometimes for three weeks at a time. However, noticeable improvements didn’t come fast enough for Sophie’s owner, who regularly threatened to euthanize the dog.
Before departing on another three-week extended leave, the owner told Jess that Sophie would be put down when he returned if another option wasn’t found. Desperate for help, Jess turned to social media, where the responses were plentiful.
“But none knew what it would take to own Sophie,” he recalled.
With time running out, a response came from someone named Josie Jo — a woman who would become Sophie’s guardian angel. Josie connected Jess to Chase K9 Services, a trainer whose specialty was rehabilitating the most challenging cases.
“With the help of Josie, my friends, family, and the Northeast Animal Shelter, we raised the needed funds to move Sophie to the place that could best help save her.”
Sophie took time to adjust to her new surroundings, but eventually learned what it meant to live, and to coexist with other dogs, in a safe environment. In the midst of her training, COVID hit, preventing Jess from seeing Sophie for nearly two years.
“She remembered me, but was standoffish at first,” Jess said. “But by the end of that visit, I was sitting with her, giving her treats again, and took her for a little walk.”
Arrangements were made for a month-long home trial, with longer trials to follow.
In August of 2022, four years after they first met, Jess picked up Sophie for what would be the last trial.
“She exploded with excitement,” Jess said. “She was jumping, singing, and dancing — everything you want to see as a person being greeted by their dog.”
The search to find a home for Sophie was over.
“She and I, somehow, were meant to be together,” Jess said.
Leslie Martini is a freelance writer and children’s book author. Though she and her family have lived in Marblehead for more than 26 years, Leslie is still discovering countless untold stories. If you’d like to share your story, please contact leslie@marbleheadweeklynews.com.