Gordon — a pit bull used as a bait dog in an Akron dogfighting ring — seemed to find a happy ending in January when he cuddled up with a Sandusky woman and her 1-year-old daughter who promised “Gordo” had found his forever home.
But a dog catcher picked up the toothless, voiceless dog wandering somewhere near Bowling Green in April.
Now Gordon is back with the Geauga County trainer who saved him from being euthanized last year.
“He’s still Gordon, loving and rolling around on the couch cuddling,” said Daniel Makara, a trainer who specializes in rehabilitating troubled dogs. “Dogs aren’t like us; they take everything in stride.”
What went wrong with Gordon’s adoption is not entirely clear.
Charlene Knerr — who was featured in the Akron Beacon Journal and Sandusky Register when she adopted Gordon — didn’t return messages left for her Wednesday on Facebook or with a former employer, who said she could reach Knerr.
But Makara said Gordon repeatedly ran away from Knerr’s yard, escaping through a hole in fencing Knerr never fixed.
Knerr picked up Gordon a couple of times from animal control in Erie County, Makara said.
When Gordon made his last run, he ended up about 50 miles west of Sandusky with Wood County’s animal control in Bowling Green.
“[Knerr] didn’t even know where he was,” Makara said.
Knerr and others who adopt dogs from Makara’s organization — Cleveland Dog Rescue and Rehabilitation Center — sign a contract obligating them to return dogs to Makara if ever they can no longer care for them.
But Knerr never contacted Makara about Gordon, he said.
He only learned the 2-year-old dog had gone missing when Wood County officials called him after finding Makara’s phone number connected to a microchip embedded under Gordon’s skin, Makara said.
This week, Gordon’s picture and sad story went back onto Cleveland Dog Rescue and Rehabilitation Center’s website.
“Gordon — The Survivor,” it says above a picture of the block-headed dog seeming to smile for the camera.
Before police broke up a dogfighting ring in Akron, men used Gordon as a bait dog, repeatedly letting fighting dogs attack him to build their ferocity, strength and endurance.
Most of Gordon’s teeth are either filed down or missing, probably yanked out so he couldn’t defend himself. Gordon’s bark is gone, too, after someone shoved something else down his throat to damage his voice box so neighbors wouldn’t hear him yelp in pain.
“Gordon suffered from a slew of behavior issues and had severe PTSD,” the rescue’s website says. “Surprisingly, though, he’s never been human aggressive.”
Gordon was the first dog Makara’s 10-month-old rescue found a home for. Since then, Makara said he’s placed about a dozen more dogs with special issues, including a pit bull named Walter who was permanently paralyzed after someone likely stomped on his back. Walter, who uses a wheelchair, was adopted by a veterinarian in Mentor.
Makara said he’s learned a lot along the way and hopes he’s now found a family who can truly be Gordon’s happy ending.
On Thursday, the family scheduled a second visit with Gordon.
“They’re real nice,” Makara said. “They want a dog that can play with their dog and Gordon, despite all he’s been through, loves other people and dogs.”
Amanda Garrett can be reached at 330-996-3725 or agarrett@thebeaconjournal.com.