The Story of Sprout

I love and hate this story at the same time-
This dog (Sprout) was left at the municipal shelter after being dumped- bloody and disfigured at a police station. He had been used as a bait dog, was emaciated, had his lip split open and his left eye hanging out of its socket. Luckily ProjectPet decided to care for him, despite the medical costs and mandatory 6-month quarantine.
I've included here images of Sprout's Progress-- look how far he has come with love and care!! Someone is going to be very lucky when Sprout's quarantine is done.

You can help by donating to Sprout's care here.
Watch Sprout's amazing progress on FB page "Save Sprout"

You can be part of your own amazing rescue story, just by having a huge heart. Don't have room for a big pit bull in your NYC apartment? worry about aggression? medical bills holding you back?? None of those worries apply to this tiny girl that needs a home more than anything in the world.

 

Her name is Eloise, she is only 10 months old and a precariously thin 18 pounds. All this girl needs is love and LOTS of food. She has been rated completely mild and has been at the shelter since April 12th. Click here for more info.

Save Our Breed

I hate the fact that a dog born as a pit bull has been born into a life of prejudice, fear, and abuse. People are so scared of Bruno- which makes him scared of them. He lives his life in fear of people because he knows they can and have hurt him. We have recently stopped allowing him to sleep in the bed with us (he is a big boy now)- but he still sits by the bed and whimpers for human contact- to snuggle under the covers and keep us warm.

These dogs have so much loyalty, bravery, love and forgiveness for humans that they should be heroes- they have the potential other breeds may not to do search and rescue, bomb sniffing, to save people, to comfort people, to change lives. They have a spark of life and a gift of strength and loyalty that a lot of breeds lack. Unfortunately, they are also the most likely breed of dog to endure animal abuse and the number one breed killed in animal shelters.

This first video is hard to watch but it really helps show how abused this breed really is- how these dogs didn't ask to be born scary and used for sport- they were born soft and cuddly like any dog. They deserve so much more from the people that bring them into this world.

Pit-bull ownership is not easy- having a dog that looks anything like pitty means you often can't rent an apartment (more on this later) or get home-owners' insurance or can't even live in certain jurisdictions- see the varying and ridiculous definitions here. (When else does a "I know it when I see it" description really hold up legally?)

But it is worth it-I would never abandon my dogs so that I could live in a specific place- they are a part of my family now and all I want for them is to be accepted enough that they don't have to be scared of strangers.



Looking forward to this Documentary:

Animal Cruelty at its worst: Patrick's Story

Warning: The photos in the post are graphic:

The day before Saint Patrick's day- a man emptying the trash at a Newark apartment building discovered a bag moving slightly. Fortunately, he opened the bag and found a crippled figure inside. A dog had been thrown down the trash chute- still clinging to life. The dog had a body temperature of 96 (6 degrees too low), had bones sticking through his skin, and was an imae of death. He was rushed to the Garden State Veterinary Specialists where he somehow made it through the night.

This is Patrick:

With donations, gifts, letters, food, treatment, and care- Patrick is improving. He has gained 2 1/4 pounds, can walk a bit, and his tail is wagging. You can follow his progress here.

According the NY-SPCA officials, Kisha Curtis (28) of Newark (who allegedly threw Patrick 19 stories down that chute) has been charged with four counts of animal cruelty and could serve up to 6 months in jail and pay a $1000 fine. This was later upgraded to 18 months and a $3000 fine. To many animal advocates- this is hardly enough- follow the attempts to implement Patrick's Law here.
Read the full story here.

Here are some pictures of Patrick as he has been improving- hopefully he will continue to get better and I can write updates about his health and his new home in the future.

Donate to the ResQ fund