PHANTOM'S STORY

Our founder, Lori, and her best buddy, Bill, were strolling the aisles of the East Shore Shelter of the Harrisburg Area Humane Society.  Bill was in the early stages of planning to get a dog, and Lori was just along for the ride.  Stopping to visit each pit bull (about half of the shelter's total population!), Lori passed a very unique-looking fellow peering through the mesh of one pen.  He was elegantly dressed in a permanent tuxedo, with a white face and one black eye patch.  Most striking, however, were his black ears: rather than rising only halfway like a typical pit bull's natural ears, his stood up dramatically... one aimed for the sky, while the other had similar aspirations but gave up about 2/3 of the way to the top.

Not in the market for a new dog at the moment, Lori passed him by, but was soon drawn back to this elegant fellow's pen.  "Sit," she said, and he immediately complied.  Joining her in front of the pen, Bill began to play the mischievous sidekick, encouraging her to ask to see him.  After a feeble attempt to talk herself out of it, Lori agreed to meet the dog in the "Get Acquainted" area.  It took only a few moments for her to lose her heart, and a few days later, the tuxedo-clad gent left for a new "forever home."

Driving home from the shelter, Lori pondered what to name her new baby.  In his tux, reminiscent of a magician, he looked like a "Houdini."  Fearing a self-fulfilling prophecy, however, she decided that naming a dog after an escape artist would not be a good idea!  She then looked at his mask-like face and found it reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera, and chose the name Phantom instead.

Knowing that crate training is the best way to keep both home and pet safe while one is at work, Lori obtained a sturdy crate and began training the new arrival.  Day One went by uneventfully.  Upon arriving home from the office on Day Two, however, Lori found Phantom wandering around the house loose--he had picked the latches on his cage and let himself out to explore!  A trip to the hardware store for some heavy-duty carabiner clips solved the problem until Phanny learned to stay in his home, but from that moment on, his full name would be Phantom Houdini!

Since then, Phantom has proven expert at getting out of virtually any collar or harness, and he is even showing an aptitude for opening the screen door!  Curious about his level of intelligence, Lori subjected him to Dr. Stanley Coren's Canine IQ Test, and to her surprise, Phantom scored in the brilliant range.  Fortunately, he directs his gifted brain to other activities besides escaping confinement, and has developed quite a repertoire of tricks.  Lori hopes to one day get him involved in acting or modeling to draw attention to the plight of homeless animals, especially pit bulls and other "stigmatized" dog breeds.