HUMBOLDT PARK — Stevie the Wonder Dog is an expert snuggler and listener, an endless drooler and a tug-of-war champion.
Stevie, a 7-year-old blind pitbull, needs a forever home. He was found roaming Humboldt Park near Artesian Avenue and Hirsch Street by Agatha Slupek in 2022, emaciated, scuffed up and partially blind, she said. Slupek took him in and brought him back to health, getting him fixed, vaccinated and chipped, she said.
Since last summer, Slupek has been on a mission to find Stevie a permanent home. She now splits her time between Kalamazoo and Chicago and is unable to care for Stevie full-time. Ellen Wilson, another neighbor, has been fostering the dog since August, improving his behavioral issues and teaching him a slew of commands. He’s also received special training from New Beginnings Dog Training, Wilson said.
Wilson is moving to Tennessee at the end of March and already has another dog, so Stevie’s foster moms hope the right person can give him a home that suits his needs.
“He’s great, but he’s not the easiest dog. He’s not your goldendoodle or whatever that’s just designer made,” Slupek said. “He’s a pitbull; he’s huge, but he’s extremely loving.”
Veterinarians said Stevie is around 7 years old, and he was likely on the streets for four months before Slupek rescued him, she said. His blindness could be a result of a genetic predisposition among white pitbulls, which are rare and more prone to vision problems and congenital deafness, research shows. Stevie’s hearing is at tip-top shape, Slupek said.
Stevie’s ideal home is a household that does not have other animals, has a fenced-in yard and has people who work from home, his foster moms said. Slupek was not able to find out much about Stevie’s past, but she said he has separation anxiety and loves to cuddle.
Because of Stevie’s blindness, he approaches animals nose first, which can be mistaken for aggression and lead to conflict with other dogs, Slupek said. His reactivity makes it difficult to interact with dogs or be off leash, but he gets along well with humans and children, she said.
“We believe that he could be OK with dogs and other animals; it just takes a lot of training with your dog and the right match,” Wilson said.
The owner at Western Wag, 1458 N. Western Ave., has been instrumental in helping care for and train Stevie and is willing to keep that relationship open for Stevie’s next parent, Wilson said.
“In the back of my mind, I thought maybe [keeping Stevie] could work, but already having my own dog has been such an obstacle,” Wilson said. “People are busy, and there’s so much training that has to go into this, and it’s expensive, so we just aren’t where we are with him and other dogs yet. But that’s also something that [Western Wag] is willing to help with.”
Wilson or Slupek are willing to drive up to eight hours to find Stevie the right home, they said. Anyone interested in meeting Stevie can email ellenwilson00@gmail.com and agatha.slupek@gmail.com.
Since 2022, Stevie has brought other Humboldt Park dog lovers together, creating a community of people who have watched or trained him because everyone wants him to find a good home, Slupek said.
Stevie’s foster moms said it’s becoming more urgent to find him a home as a deadline looms for Wilson to leave Chicago and shelters are full. Because pitbulls can be hard to adopt due to stereotypes and a bad reputation that can lead to neglect, many shelters are either overburdened with pitbulls or don’t accept the breed.
Slupek and Wilson each called the other “heroes” for bettering Stevie’s health and behavior, which can hopefully increase his chances of finding his person, they said. But they worry he could be put down if he can’t find the right home.
“This is not a first resort for us, but actually a last resort. We have tried all of the avenues, and ultimately I think he can bring a lot of joy to the right family,” Slupek said. “He’s active, he farts on the couch, he bumps into stuff in the most endearing way, and he is so loving.”
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