Harold the Celebrity? Grand Strand Humane Society Pit Bull’s rescue story reaches masses
Harold the Pit Bull was one of the staff’s favorites at the Grand Strand Humane Society.
After all, how many dogs make headlines for saving six puppies left for dead in a container inside a dumpster?
Still, “Harold the Superhero” started to show signs of depression as months passed with the heralded American Bulldog/American Staffordshire Terrier mix without a forever home as others, including the puppies he saved, left the shelter for good.
As a recently released mini documentary episode on The Dodo’s “Pittie Nation” shows, that all changed when Marlena Ryba, a Coastal Carolina psychology professor who was reluctant to own another dog following the heartbreak of losing her Rottweiler and Toy Poodle, began volunteering at the shelter and eventually fell in love with Harold.
“I had told myself that I’m never going through that grief again — it was way too much,” Ryba said in relation to the passing of Diana, the Toy Poodle, and Roxy, the Rottweiler. “I thought I wouldn’t be able to have another dog because I was very heartbroken, but I’m like a dog person so I got the itch and kind of needed that in my life again so I thought ‘OK, I’m gonna just watch some dogs,’ and here we are.”
That was her mindset when she started helping out at the GSHS in February, but by June 26 she was once again a dog owner when she took Harold to his forever home, where he is now thriving, having learned tricks and commands and regularly enjoying outdoor activities with his new best friend.
The journey to their connection, as featured in episode 8 of the ninth season of Pittie Nation, a series of short Pit Bull documentaries, began a day after Harold was returned to the shelter for the third time. Ryba had just begun orientation that day and in the same week Harold grabbed headlines for discovering the six puppies in the dumpster while on a walk with another volunteer.
Having heard the story early in her time volunteering, Ryba took an interest in Harold, the first dog she made a strong connection with at the shelter despite the fact she admits he isn’t the type of canine she would target had she been planning on adopting. What began as one or two days a week volunteering by spring break became a daily routine in which Ryba would walk — or go on day trips with — Harold.
“He would walk right up to the kennel door when I came in. The most exciting day for me was when I taught him to roll over,” said Ryba, whose Pittie Nation episode has gotten more than 150,000 views. “So I started to realize he had a lot of potential; he just needed guidance.”
Ryba said the day she adopted Harold began as any other, with a walk in which he had no indication the visit would be anything out of the ordinary. Later, Ryba loaded him into her car, noting that Harold perked up when she drove into her neighborhood as if the dog knew he was finally home.
“He’s doing amazing,” said Ryba, who is originally from Poland but grew up in North Myrtle Beach.
Ryba noted the humane society advises people that it takes a minimum of six weeks for a dog to decompress during the transition from the shelter to a new home. Therefore, she started slow and allowed Harold, estimated to be 6 or 7 years old, time to get adjusted.
“I worked really hard on his separation anxiety and we haven’t had any issues where he’s been startled or anything, so he’s doing great,” she said. “We just make sure to take things very, very slowly.”
The Dodo — which advertises itself as a “digital media brand for animal people” that tells stories about individual animals “in a way that makes people laugh, cry happy tears and feel ALL the feels” and has nearly 29 million followers on Facebook — took notice of Harold and Ryba’s adoption footage on social media via the GSHS, which led to the episode on Pittie Nation.
Now, Harold is somewhat of an international celebrity. Ryba said she’s heard from people all around the world since the mini doc came out, and she said she was floored upon learning that it had gotten likes from actresses Jennifer Aniston, Kaley Cuoco and Kristen Bell.
“That did kind of blow my mind when I saw someone comment and say ‘I wonder what it feels like to have Jennifer Aniston like your video’ and I was like ‘Wait, no way.’” Ryba said. “I told Harold but he didn’t seem too impressed.”
Ryba said she hopes that documenting her journey with Harold helps clear up misconceptions about Pit Bulls — which she admits she was guilty of — and shelter animals in general. Ryba wants her success story to inspire others that she believes are just a visit to the shelter away from happening.
“I’m glad that he’s able to be an example of the importance of adopting a dog that may seem more difficult to take on,” she said. “They’re all adoptable. They’re all workable. There’s like a thousand Harolds out there.”
This story was originally published November 24, 2019 at 2:18 PM.
