The gentle giant was being trained to be a killer when he was just two months old.
A year ago, Chicago police raided a South Side home. Inside, they found dogs that were being trained to fight. Brutus was just a puppy so Animal Control took him in. They said they just knew he was a good dog with a good future. They worked with him for almost a year to bring out the best in Brutus.
"Many of the animal control officers put in their time to just socialize Brutus and make him the big lug he is today. A wonderful dog," said Mark Rosenthal, mgr. Chicago Animal Care & Control.
If Brutus hadn't been rescued from the dog fighting life there's a good chance he wouldn't be here today.
"In the fighting culture nobody can win all the time," said David Dinger, v.p. operations Anti-Cruelty Society. "And, ah the way that world is configured, you use a dog until it's used up and then get rid of it."
Brutus survived that world because he was rescued before he learned to hate.
"Brutus was young enough that with care from the people at Animal Care & Control he was able to reverse any of his past bad experiences," said Rosenthal.
"He's gonna make it. He's already made it. Now we find out where he's going to make it to and that's going to happen in the next few days," said Dinger.
Brutus's owner recently pleaded guilty to animal cruelty. He received probation and a fifteen hundred dollar fine.
The Anti-Cruelty Society
157 W. Grand Ave. Chicago, IL 60654
(312) 644-8338
anticruelty.org