Therapy dog Aladdin, a real life superhero, made huge mark for pit bulls, dogs, people
Aladdin had a lot of friends.
If you met him, you were his friend. Aladdin was a pit bull who had a rough start in life. He was abused and hungry before he was rescued by Lilo's Promise, an animal rescue based out of Voorhees, and was taken in by Michele Schaffer-Stevens and her family.
Once that happened, Aladdin's magic began. He was on the road to recovery and the greatest life a dog could have.
But Aladdin wasn't just happy living the good life. Sure, he enjoyed more than his fair share of treats and he did take time to swim on his beach on the north end of North Wildwood in Anglesea, but he wasn't all play. Nope, Aladdin made sure to use his great story to help others. And boy was he busy.
The certified therapy dog would go anywhere he was needed. He loved to visit schools and hospitals. Kids were his favorite and this gentle giant loved to put smiles on the face of those who needed it. If you were sick or sad, Aladdin could help change that with one look glance.
He became the spokesdog for Lilo's Promise Animal Rescue, the rescue that pulled him, and also worked with other groups, including Show Your Soft Side, a nationwide animal abuse campaign that puts stars with animals to show kids that real men and women don't hurt animals. And Aladdin was their biggest star.
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Aladdin was an ambassador for Tito's Vodka, Vodka for Dog People Campaign, a member of the Purina National Therapy Dog Ambassador Team, was named Therapy Dog of the year in the 2017 American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards and an unofficial mascot of all the Philly sports teams. He was also the kindness ambassador for State Farm's Kindness is Powerful Program.
It wasn't unusual to see Aladdin paired up with stars from the Philadelphia Eagles, the Baltimore Ravens or rocking out with Slash from Guns N’ Roses.
But Aladdin was at his happiest when he was with his family.
He loved being at the shore. He was quite the swimmer and he was a celebrity when he would take a dip in the Atlantic Ocean. Then, he would love to sit outside his family's house and soak in the pets.
Aladdin did so much for so many, and was the perfect spokesdog for pit bulls. Despite his tremendously tough start to life, he wanted nothing more than to give love and get praise for being the good dog that he was.
Sadly, Aladdin passed away Tuesday after dealing with an assortment of medical problems. He always got the best care, and love, but his little body could no longer fight to stay alive.
Just as he did in life, Aladdin continues to give back. HIs Facebook page is asking for donations in his honor to his favorite places.
"In Laddy’s honor I am asking each person who follows his page to make a donation in his name to Show Your Soft Side or Ronnie Stanley Foundation, sponsor one of LILO’s dogs or buy one of his books and donate to your local library, school library or someone who needs a little love. That would mean the world to us."
To learn more about Aladdin, to order a book or to leave a message of condolence, visit https://www.facebook.com/aladdinnation.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Rescued pit bull Aladdin lived life as a true superstar
