This past Labor Day weekend, Alexandra and Rollins Luckey went on a road trip from Florida back home to Atlanta. Along the way, they made a stop at a gas station in Columbus, Georgia, and were immediately greeted by a pit bull.
“There was just this dog
chilling in front, and the people inside were like, ‘Yeah, he’s been here for forever. We don’t know who owns him,’” Alexandra told The Dodo.
The Luckeys were shocked by how affectionate the big dog was. He had the demeanor of someone’s beloved pet but was clearly all by himself.
“He came right up to us and was so friendly,” Alexandra said.
The couple’s 6-year-old son, Reese, became very attached to the dog right away. Reese fell in love with the pup’s sweet personality and didn’t understand how anyone could abandon him outside a gas station. He was so heartbroken by the dog’s situation that he was even moved to tears.
“Our son’s a really good kid. He knows right from wrong, and not just that, he knows what’s good and bad," Rollins told The Dodo. "He was like, ‘We can’t just leave this animal here.'"
Between Reese’s tears and the pup’s sweet face, Alexandra and Rollins started to wonder: What if they actually didn’t leave the dog? On paper, taking a dog from a random Georgia gas station home with them seemed crazy. But as they thought about it more, they realized nothing was stopping them.
“I’m a dog lover, so I was like, ‘Let’s just take him,’” Alexandra said.
Reese couldn’t believe it. As his parents brought the dog into the car, he couldn’t stop smiling.
“He was so excited,” Alexandra said.
The couple posted a photo of the dog to a local lost pets Facebook page, where they learned from a community member that the dog’s owner had been neglecting him for quite some time and didn’t want him anymore. That settled it — Reese named the dog Clark, and the Luckeys officially welcomed him into their home.
“Pit bulls have such a bad rap, but they’re truly the sweetest dogs,” Alexandra said. “If you treat them well, they’ll love you back.”
Over the past week and a half, Clark has quickly settled into his new home. He’s obsessed with sitting in Rollins’ lap and covering him with licks, and he’s already enjoying running around with the family’s other dog, Bunny. Reese, of course, has been thrilled to cuddle up with his new best friend.
“I feel like our family’s complete with him,” Alexandra said.
