[Purple]

Doggone Amazing: Severely injured pit bull finds new home in Greeley

Dan England
June 12, 2007

Workers from the Humane Society of Weld County just didn't want to let the dog go.


It sure didn't look good for her when workers saw splashes of blood surrounding a dog dumped like trash on the front doorstep of the humane society. It was 8 a.m., and she was bleeding out the nose and ears and had a badly broken leg. In her two years as director, Elaine Hicks had only seen one other dog left in that condition.

Plus the dog was a pit bull, a species with a bad reputation, at times deservedly.

But no way were they going to let her go. Most animals injured that badly won't let anyone near them, even their owners, but not only did she let the worker, a complete stranger, pick her up, she wagged her tail at her and offered kisses. Cases like her were why the society was thrilled to receive $2,500 grant from the Build-a-Bear Foundation for emergency care. Cases like her are why workers log long hours at the shelter in the first place.

Even so, it was ugly. Later, by looking at surveillance cameras, they learned she was left for dead two-and-a-half hours before workers discovered her. Liz Clark of the Alpine Veterinary Hospital, 131 N. 35th Ave., Greeley, agreed to treat the dog. She really had no choice. Clark rarely lets any animal near her face, but she was just so sweet, with her tail stuck in wagging mode, Clark let the dog lick her, several times and without abandon.

Clark, too, couldn't let her go.

So she amputated the back leg -- it was broken in five places -- and patched her up. She later thought the dog was hit by a car, but no one really knows what happened other than security cameras recording a car dumping the pit bull on the front steps of the society. Five days after she was discovered on May 25, Clark sent the dog back to the shelter for adoption. The dog must have paid her way in kisses: Clark only charged the society $100.

Shelter workers put her on the floor for adoption. They named her Amazing.

A few days later, Ron Jolly of Greeley walked into the shelter to donate a couple bags of food. He'd heard about the dog and figured he might play with her for just a little while, maybe lift her spirits, as he had with other dogs there.

Only Amazing wagged her tail and offered up those kisses again, and Jolly knew he would have to bring her home.

Her first day in Jolly's home, it took her about three minutes to make it her home, too. She followed him everywhere, and that night, she crawled into bed with him.

She continues to follow him everywhere and has to know where he is at all times. She'll leave her favorite spot in the sun on the porch to search for him if she hasn't seen him in a few minutes.

In many ways, Amazing is amazing. She pulled through a moment that would have killed most dogs. And she did it with the kind of trust and sweet nature that most healthy patients, human or dog, don't possess.

"It's amazing to me that these dogs are abused or neglected or whatever, and they're just so sweet," Hicks said. "It's just really sad."

This story, however, has a happy ending. It took a lot of pain, three weeks of tail wagging and a few kisses, but in the end, Amazing found a shelter, a vet and, finally, an owner. And that horrible day on May 25 will be the last time that anyone ever lets her go.

Dan England covers the outdoors, entertainment and the environment for The Tribune. He is married and has a son and twin girls. His column runs on Tuesday. If you have an idea for a column, call 392-4418 or write dengland@greeleytribune.com.

HOW TO HELP

The Humane Society always has a lot of dogs and cats available for adoption. The hours are 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Friday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. It is located at 1620 42nd St., Evans, and the phone number is 506-9550.

ON THE NET

Go to www.weldcountyhumane.org for more information and to see dogs and other creatures available for adoption.

http://www.greeleytrib.com/article/2...20084/-1/rss02

[Michele]

what a great ending......

[buddysmom]

I loved this. Thanks for sharing.

[chinasmom]

Absolutly "Amazing"

[annji]

Thanks for sharing. I really love reading these.

[CAROLINA]

Originally Posted by chinasmom Absolutly "Amazing"

lol my thoughts also amazing lol