BLOSSOM*

Blossom turned up as a stray at the Town of Hempstead Municipal Shelter where she stayed for seven years. In that time, she was adopted and returned three times, all at no fault of her own, returning each time dejected and more deeply depressed. Photographer Sophie Gamand photographed her during her first shelter stay and returned again when Blossom was found in the street after her more decent adoptive family abandoned her. This time, Sophie met an older, sicker and positively shattered version of Blossom. She had aged, her teeth rotten and soiling herself from medical neglect. There, she was crowned and photographed for the last time and Sophie vowed to help her.

Sophie: “When I heard Blossom’s story, I knew I could help, also. Blossom became my 27th foster dog via Rebound Hounds Rescue, and I became determined to find her the perfect home. Shortly after she joined me, we were told that she was in terminal kidney failure, and had only 3 to 6 months to live. Heartbroken, we promised to give her the best 3 to 6 months we could.” Her Pit Bull Flower Power portrait became iconic. Sophie had just started working on that series.

Thanks to her incredible spirit and her zest for life, Blossom not only survived but thrived for another 22 months in her Forever Foster Home. She became the queen of off-leash hours in Brooklyn, winning friends, fans and hearts in New York and beyond. She was featured in the Animal Planet Puppy Bowl, highlighting not only Sophie’s brilliant work, but the joys of adopting a senior pit bull. It was a huge moment for us all.
On April 9th 2022, Blossom passed away peacefully. She had a home with her foster mom, Julie, all that time and truly knew dedication and love. She left a lasting impression on everyone she met and her sass and strength is deeply missed.

Blossom’s story is lengthy because in the 6 years she was returned to the shelter several times through no fault of her own (is it ever?).

Blossom was first discovered in 2013 roaming around a shopping center. She waited a few months at the shelter and was adopted, only to be returned shortly after when the resident dog didn’t approve. Blossom’s second stay at the shelter lasted about a year, partly because after the first adoption mishap she was listed as needing to be the only pet at home.

Few shelters have the resources to properly assess and socialize their dogs. As a consequence, at the first sign of trouble, dogs are quickly labeled as an only pet in an attempt to avoid failed adoptions. At the same time, that label creates huge hurdles for these animals. Many languish for months or years, when they could actually be paired with the right animals, or simply need slower introductions. This proved true for Blossom.
In 2015, Blossom finally found the home of her dreams. She lived happily with her new family, which included children—from a newborn to a fifteen-year-old—and two cats. Everything was going great until the husband was deployed overseas, and the whole family had to relocate to Germany, a country that as a rule bans the importation of pit bulls. Blossom’s family tried to place her with relatives or friends, and, when all failed, they brought her back to the shelter.

Blossom was quickly adopted again, by a family expecting a baby, and was returned within days when the mother-to-be changed her mind. This was now Blossom’s fourth stay at the shelter. Around that time, Patricia and her family decided to adopt a dog. They presented the shelter with their list of criteria, including the common maybe a lab mix or something, anything but a pit bull really. Members of staff explained they didn’t have any dog that matched their criteria and the majority of their dogs were pit bulls. They sent Patricia the profiles of a few select candidates, including Blossom.

“I showed her flower portrait to my husband because it was so cute,” Patricia relates, “and at first he said, ‘Are you crazy? Not a pit bull!’ But in her pictures Blossom looked so harmless. We went to the shelter the next day. We walked through the kennels and all the dogs were going bonkers, barking and jumping. I was intimidated. As we approached Blossom’s cage, we found her lying down silently. She was the only quiet dog of the whole place. After meeting her and seeing her wonderful disposition, we decided she was the one. We renamed her Gypsy because she had been bounced around to so many homes before ours. She is here to stay now, though. My baby isn’t going anywhere.”

In early 2018, Patricia and her family added Tyson to the mix, a high-energy pit bull from the same shelter who’d been bounced around, too. Gypsy and Tyson get along wonderfully, even though Tyson was a handful. Patricia had a plethora of delightful anecdotes to share with Sophie. “Recently,” she said, “I was having one of those horrible days when everything goes wrong. It was raining—pouring down. I let Gypsy out into the backyard and she disappeared. Later I found her covered in mud. She was all black, from her nose to the tip of her tail. You could only see her eyes. I was trying to quickly grab a towel, when she rushed inside the house dragging mud everywhere. I started laughing deliriously for a good ten minutes. My dogs make me crazy. But that’s what dogs are for, right?”

Sadly, early 2020 Blossom was back in the shelter. The story was that Blossom and Tyson didn’t get along. They blamed Blossom but at that point she was a senior, and likely uncomfortable in her body given her medical state. Things were escalating. The family told the shelter Blossom was “peeing in the house out of spite” (she actually had spay incontinence, as her forever mum was to find out).

Blossom “ran away” and was picked up as a stray by the shelter. When they called her family, the family said they didn’t want her back. They chose to keep Tyson instead. Their decision was probably influenced by the shelter director, who told them Tyson (who now had a bite history apparently) would not do well at the shelter. They meant: as opposed to Blossom who was a shelter veteran. This meant Blossom once again was rejected and bounced.

A few days later, early 2020, right before the country went on COVID lock down, Sophie rushed to the shelter to photograph Blossom again. She crowned her again, and you can tell her story on her face. She was sick, covered in urine, confused, ashamed. She wouldn’t even meet her eyes.

Sophie put a plea out and Julie offered to foster Blossom. Little did they know, her medical situation would require 40+ trips to the vet. It didn’t feel right adopting her again, bouncing her again. They felt Blossom wouldn’t understand.

Julie kept Blossom, took care of her, took her to the dog park where Blossom made many friends. They also got featured on the Puppy Bowl, in a “Senior spotlight”.

So Blossom went from being a pit bull ambassador, to a senior ambassador.

Thank you Sophie and Julie for sharing Blossom’s touching story with us.