Introducing Meatball, a pit bull mix known as Meaty to his family, who is happily residing in California and enjoying his life to the fullest. He has become a social media sensation, gaining almost 160k followers on Instagram.
Nonetheless, his life wasn’t always filled with happiness and joy. Before finding a permanent, loving home and gaining internet fame, Meaty had to spend his days in a shelter located in Central Valley.
Fortunately, Meaty was rescued by Lisa Reilly, a compassionate woman who gave him a new lease on life.
She first saw him in a picture that was shared on Facebook by Fresno Bully Rescue, a shelter that doesn’t euthanize dogs in California.
Reilly remarked, “He appears to be a bowling ball,” she said. “In person, it’s difficult to comprehend just how short he is, but he’s so low to the ground and wide, like a Mack Truck. And he would just charge into you like a ball of dog fat when we first got him. As a result, we started calling him ‘The Meatball,’ shortened to Meaty.”
Meaty captured Lisa’s heart and brought back memories of her previous dog, Kitty, who had passed away from a serious illness. Because of this, she chose to adopt him and provide him with the love and care he had been longing for.
“Fresno Bully Rescue did an excellent job taking care of Meaty from the first moment I saw him until I was able to adopt him,” Reilly told The Dodo.
And ever since the day he was rescued from the shelter, Meaty has been constantly smiling. He quickly formed a bond with Reilly’s other rescued pit bulls, Punky and Ricardo Tubbs, along with dachshunds Bitty and Dappe.
“One advantage of having a chubby dog is that he’s highly motivated by treats,” Reilly said. “He’s also very motivated by toys and loves to play. So he’s willing to ‘work’ for any toy or treat, which makes taking pictures of him so effortless.”
As evidenced by the pictures below, Meaty is incredibly happy, and his wide smile is completely genuine!
“He’s really affectionate with me and loves to be close by,” Reilly said. “It’s amazing to have him around because he makes every day a good day. I challenge anyone to not smile when they’re near him.”
