| Dogs in Foster Homes Who Need Forever Homes |
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| Autumn - Sweet/Loving Pit Mix Taken Off Bridgeport Streets After at Least A Year I first came to learn of her almost a year ago after a fellow rescue person emailed me looking for assistance on a stray she spotted in passing on the streets of Bridgeport. After a failed initial attempt at spotting her that evening, my first real encounter came the very next day in the middle of an awful snowstorm. In the fierce snow and wind, I watched as she rummage through garbage can after garbage can unsuccessfully looking for food. She had refused my offer of my now 10 hour old morning muffin and advance by running off to a nearby housing complex where she managed to find a plastic bag with a single (what looked to be) bagel inside. Little did I know, at that point, while watching her, this "dime a dozen" ghetto pit would become a focal point for me for the next 10-11 months and her determination and Will to survive would fuel my determination in bringing her in from a weathered life. At the start, she was unapproachable running off if you made even the slightest bit of eye contact or acknowledged her existence from 50 or more feet away. It broke my heart to see her so scared, untrusting and broken. I could only imagine what she'd been through and what she had to continually endure by living out in this area. I respected her distance, and for the next 4 months, left her food but then hid so I could spy on her to assess and keep up on her condition. Since frequenting the area daily, I came to know some of the residents in the area, I'll never forget their reactions to me when I first spoke to them while they stood about one Spring day after not having seen her for some days. "I'm trying to get the Pit...have you seen her?? She hasn't eaten the food in days" I said....They were, no doubt, afraid of her for no other reason than she was a Pit Bull though, and paid no mind to her, let alone kept time on her whereabouts and her eating habits. They'll probably sit around the holiday table with family in the coming days and tell stories of the crazy girl befriending the big, bad Pit Bull. no doubt, however as time did go on, some started tossing her leftovers too every now and again. Through talking with them, I did manage to find out some information and some from the town AC. I came to learn she was 1 of 3 originally, who roamed together. Sadly, a couple months beforehand, 1 of the males was found dead in the woods. The other male was soon trapped and taken to the shelter latter euthanized due to aggression and kennel rage. This was the same fate I figured she would also face or worse getting into the hands of someone with bad intentions. So, she was a lonely soul abandoned, not only by humans at some point, but now by her pack mates, who she shared this undeserving life with. She rested on her instinct day in and day out struggling to survive through the elements and people she encountered. After 6 long months, she finally started to show some trust letting me leave food and make eye contact saying a quick hello before going back to the car. From there, as days turned into months, the distance between us became less and the words and company became longer. As winter the one prior. I also knew I was operating on her time table - naturally right - and if I pushed it, I could set this back so far in progress, we'd both be freezing our tails off together. Then, something truly awesome happened - she stepped on the progression gas full throttle! It's as if she came to the same conclusion and decided "Hell, it's either freeze or give the crazy lady a try....I'll give her a go....her food is better than plastic bag bagel anyhow....." On Nov 29th, this ghetto stray made her final step out of the pile of leaves she called a bed and into a warm home. Autumn has been awe inspiring, even more so than ever before. Seeing her come alive and see the hope and love restored in her eyes leaves has been something words can't express. Not even a month after, you'd never know this sweet and loving girl was a stray living on the hard streets of Bridgeport. She defied the odds, survived and captured all of our hearts in the process...... What Autumn needs now is to close out this chapter in her life and move on to living the life she, and all animals, should have been living in the first place. Selfishly, I'd love nothing more than to keep her in my family, but sadly can't, My mom and sister are the loving and doting (short-term) fosters while we find her a rescue org, long-term foster (or better yet) a forever home. Through our good friends at Animal Nation (LOVE THEM!), who helped us with a reduced vetting outlet, Autumn has been brought UTD on her all vaccinations, tested HW neg, placed on a monthly HW preventative and the vet found her to have already been spayed at some point in her life. She did come up Lyme and AP positive as well as positive for Giardia, which she is on medications for. The vet also found half of her teeth to be missing, and of the teeth remaining, many are badly broken. In addition, upon exam, her lymph nodes were swollen quite possibly due to the Lyme and AP depending upon how long she's been living with both. She is due for her follow up exam at the end of December after her cycle of Doxy is complete. She has no behavioral issues with regard to other animals / toys / food / etc., but separation anxiety is one thing, which very well could develop, if one isn't careful, and manage accordingly. She gets along well with all everyone she meets from children to adults to the elderly and doesn't mind other dogs. Autumn also loves just lounging around in the company of humans catching up on her R&R especially lazy day Sundays :) Autumn is crate trained, house trained, has very good leash walking skills and knows a couple basic commands such as sit and down. She continually aims to please, is very easy to handle as well as has good focus and quick response to her handler's commands and guidance. In addition, she enjoys car rides, playing with stuffed doggie toys and has a low to moderate energy level, which is burned off easy with a quick game of fetch or a good walk around the block. For more information / questions, please contact me (Melissa Mastroni) at mastroni7@gmail.com or (203) 913-4534. |
Updated 12/23/2010
| Autumn on the streets - scared, cold, and alone, and in danger |
| Autumn in a foster home, safe, warm and needing a forever home. |
