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MELVIN

Foster Home Application.

On May 15, 2011, a nurse who visits the homes of patients in the inner city of Cleveland saw a dog she couldn't forget.  The dog was terribly emaciated, had cuts all over and was wandering around alone.  On her way to a patient's home, she pulled over, opened her passenger door and called the dog.  He immediately turned in her direction and ran towards her and jumped in the car.  She was shocked at how much worse he appeared close up.  His tail wagged every time she spoke to him and he had a huge smile (or what appeared to be a smile) on his face.

Her day at work was just beginning so she took this boy to the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter.  The person at the desk told her that after the three day hold period, he would be euthanized because he is a pit bull.  The nurse couldn't believe what she was hearing.   It was hot so she couldn't leave him in the car and she couldn't take him home because she had a dog with an immune disorder so she left him at the shelter.  That's when she called For the Love of Pits.  We received a desperate message from this woman describing the terrible condition of the boy.  Because this kind woman offered to foster this boy, we told her we would help.

We immediately emailed the Cuyahoga County Animal Shelter via email asking that the emaciated and sick boy be released to For the Love of Pits.  We received a quick response indicating that the boy was not emaciated and he was being seen by a vet.

On May 27, 2011, we were permitted to assess this dog.  We were shocked by what we saw.

We could not believe that the shelter did not think this boy was emaciated!  We conducted our assessment and this boy, labeled at T-3, had an amazing temperament so we decided to rescue him.  Of course, we saw some issues we would need to work on but that's nothing new with a dog that has been so terribly neglected.  We knew he deserved a chance!  The shelter informed us that they could not release him until he was altered but we were adamant that this boy was not healthy enough to have surgery.  We agreed to sign paperwork and pay an extra fee certifying that we would alter T-3 once he was healthy enough.

On May 31, 2011, we rescued T-3.  The warden who was at the shelter expressed his disapproval with our choice to rescue this boy.  The warden indicated that T-3 was aggressive and that there were nice "pit bulls" from which we could choose.  We disagreed that this boy was aggressive and told him that the other nice "pit bulls" were, in fact, not pit bulls at all.  We walked to the back where all the "pit bulls" are held and watched the warden take out the leash and try to get the noose around T-3's neck.  T-3 jumped up and grabbed the leash in his mouth.  The warden looked concerned but I told him just to walk with the leash in T-3's mouth because it was unlikely he would let go.  [From our experience with fighting dogs, we know that many of these dogs are trained with tug games and they are obsessive about this behavior.  It was unlikely that  this boy, with such training, would willingly release the leash.]

We walked down the hall of the shelter with T-3 holding the leash.  The warden and other individual at the shelter kept asking if we were sure we wanted to take this dog and our answer was the same every time!  When we came to the end of the hallway, they tried to get another leash around him so that we could walk him out of the shelter but he grabbed that leash in his mouth as well.  They dropped treats on the floor and T-3 ate the treats without letting go of the leashes.  They dropped treats aiming for his mouth and he caught the treats without releasing the leashes.  What a sight!

To the warden's dismay, we finally reached down and picked up T-3, removed the leashes from his mouth and handed them over to the wardens.  We then walked out with T-3 in our arms and placed him in our car.  He was finally safe!

We immediately took him to the vet and then to his temporary foster home.  Here he is running in the yard for the first time.

Within three days after bringing him home, he stopped eating and became extremely lethargic.  We rushed him to the emergency vet and after tests, we were told he had pneumonia and anemia.  His red blood cell count was 14.  [To put this in perspective, the low end of normal is 35.]  We authorized blood transfusions and he was placed on oxygen.  He remained at the emergency vet for three days and nights.   Upon release, we were told we had to watch his red blood cell count so we placed him on a high protein raw diet and gave him the recommended supplements.  At the next vet visit, we were told his red blood cell count increased to 24.  We were thrilled because he needed dental work and altering but we did not want to have surgery until he was healthy.  He was on his way.

Unfortunately, at the next vet visit, his red blood cell count had not increased and this was not normal.  The emergency vet conducted tests to help us determine what exactly was going on with him.  We got the bad news that he had babesia, which is found in fighting dogs and something we dealt with in the past.  Babesia is very expensive to treat and we knew we'd have to fundraise extensively to help Melvin.  Luckily, very kind people donated and we were able to afford the medication and additional blood testing and vet visits necessary to restore his health.  After the 10-day treatment, we conducted the blood test to determine if the medication helped and it did!  Yay!

Melvin was then neutered and received the dental work he so desperately needed.  He had four teeth pulled and our vet salvaged a couple of teeth we much watch in the future.  After months of vet visits, tests and medication, Melvin is healthy and so we are learning everything we can about him.  He is learning to live in a home, to have people who love him, to live peacefully with other dogs and to never fear anything.  Melvin needs more work than a dog who was just abandoned by an irresponsible owner but this boy is a breed ambassador, loves everyone and is worth the time and energy.  His fosters are amazing and are taking their fostering job very seriously.  Melvin is the pit bull to prove to the public that even fighting dogs left to die are amazing dogs and amazing family pets. 

For the Love of Pits wants to thank everyone who donated towards Melvin's care.  His medical costs and expensive were substantial and we were concerned we wouldn't be able to provide him with everything we needed.  Thanks to all of you, Melvin is thriving and we cannot thank you enough!  On behalf of the volunteers of For the Love of Pits, Melvin's fosters and Melvin, THANK YOU!