Once shaking in fear, Annabelle has also been slowly coming out of her shell and has gained some confidence when dealing with staff and volunteers. At this time, our Pet Behavior team believes that she’ll do well in Foster Care. Luckily for this sweet pup, we have found the perfect foster home with Cara and her parents. Cara felt a connection with Annabelle when they first met and she’ll be fostering her, intending to adopt when Annabelle is ready. Her new foster mom – and foster grandparents – will give Annabelle the time and attention she needs to continue healing and learning how to socialize properly with people. Plus, with two adult dogs at home to help show her the ropes, we expect Annabelle will gain more confidence and feel part of the pack in no time.
The other Pittie Pups have also progressed nicely and are healing quite quickly. It’s amazing what better living conditions and proper care can do for a frightened, neglected animal. Three of Annabelle’s siblings, Dolly, Jethro, and Jolene, were even well enough to get adopted into responsible, loving homes this weekend. However, Carolina and Jasper are still very frightened and will continue to work with our Behavior team as they learn how to socialize with people and other dogs.
This little family of puppies have come a long way in a short time. Sadly, this is not always the case. While medical intervention can heal the visible signs of neglect, it’s the internal scars that can often take weeks, months, and even years to recover. Your support of our Help Me Heal Program will ensure that these animals are given all the time and compassion they need to become the beloved companion animals they were always meant to be.
Rescued Litter of Pups Need Your Help Now
Some believe in fate and some believe in luck, but there was definitely some higher power at work when it came to Annabelle and her five young siblings.
These Pittie puppies were turned over to an overcrowded municipal shelter in South Carolina, just before Hurricane Dorian swept through the area. Our Emergency Rescue Team was in the area helping our partner shelters affected by the storm, when we received an urgent call for help from Lakeside Animal Rescue, a shelter partner who had pulled these poor pups from Orangeburg County Animal Control.
Annabelle
Jasper
Dolly
Jolene
Jethro
Carolina
When our Rescue Team arrived back in New York, these tiny travelers received a comprehensive examination by the staff at our Pet Health Centers. All of the frightened pups were found to have some level of skin infections, scarring, possible ear infections from dirt and scratching, and generally suffering from severe neglect.
The worst case was Annabelle, a dark-eyed beauty with sores and patchy skin where her beautiful brindle coat should be. “Annabelle has the worst of the skin conditions. She has Demodex, a type of mange, and you can see it on her neck. She has lots of scabbing and she’s probably very itchy. Ultimately, this pup can get secondary bacterial and fungal infections,” said Dr. Marina Tejada, Supervising Veterinarian at Animal League America’s Pet Health Centers. “She is very fearful and she’s shaking a lot. I understand that she was surrendered by a backyard breeder and she’s very anxious and not socialized well. Any backyard breeder with animals in this condition probably wouldn’t have sold them for any good purpose.”
Dr. Tejada feels that it will be very important for Annabelle and her siblings to receive medical care right away to help ease their pain, but also they will require a lot of behavioral rehabilitation with our Pet Behavior Team. They will work with each to help the pups become more social. “It may take a while for Annabelle. It may involve her going to a foster care home in order to get her more social with people and comfortable with handling,” said Dr. Tejada. “She will become more playful and a happy puppy.”
Annabelle, and her siblings, will need a lot of love and care before they are ready for the next step of their journey. But they can’t do it alone. Your support of our Help Me Heal Program will provide the urgent medical care and compassion that these puppies have long been denied.
