What follows is the incredible story of a rescued fighting dog who escaped from hell and was named Precious by one of her saviors. The story of Precious is truly special. With so many Pit Bulls dying in the country everyday, and because the lack of resources and funds, rescuers don't normally focus their efforts on dogs with major behavioral issues and serious health problems. Once in a while however, helping a dog with odds stacked against her, like Precious, helps revitalize our faith in rescue work. Each improvement Precious makes is a victory against the monsters who steal the souls of these dogs.

Note: Precious was evaluated by knowledgeable people in Illinois before traveling to California where she is being rehabilitated by training professional, Megan Eibs, of Common Sense Dog Training. Megan is a well known and respected dog trainer with more than 15 years of experience. She is also a PBRC volunteer.

Monday, April 10, 2000 - 10:44 AM

The story is a bit long, but basically, I was contacted by someone about this very, very scared little girl, maybe 1 year old and very small. I arranged for her to be seen by a local vet and she has scars, but no current wounds. She spends her time curled up in a ball and starts shaking when you reach out to her.

I contacted Tamara, who is in the Lockport area, and she went and picked her up from the vet's office. She has agreed to keep her for one week, to evaluate her. She may not be salvageable. According to Tam, she has no life in her eyes whatsoever. She was so frightened that Tam decided to carry her inside her home in the crate. She then took the crate apart rather than try to coax her out of it. So far, she does not seem to be overtly dog aggressive, just terrified. The young man who found her said he had information that, as the runt of the litter, she was used to bait the other dogs.

She's a very dark brindle, and Tam says, unfortunately, not a pretty girl. She has natural ears that will probably stand up, if she ever feels comfortable enough to get them unplastered from her head. In addition to other scars, she appears to have chemical burn scars on her neck, but a closer examination will need to wait. I was able to get some details out of the grandmother as the dog appears to have escaped from some local scum dog fighters, and there will definitely be follow through with an investigation.

Tam is well equipped to evaluate this little girl and I will follow her recommendation. Please, cross your fingers and/or say a prayer for her. I haven't even seen her, and my heart goes out to her. My prayer is that some day I might be able to extract just a small amount of retribution on subhumans to do these horrible things to innocent animals.

Mary Jane

Thursday, April 13, 2000 - 10:44

This dog may not be salvageable. She refuses to uncurl from a fetal position for any reason other than when her food is placed out of her reach. This is one very traumatized dog. She will not eliminate anywhere other than her crate, when literally dragged from her crate and taken outside, she immediately curls up again and does not move. She will not take food from people's hand and will not meet eyes. If food is left in her crate, she will not eat if anyone is present. If food is left outside of the crate and no one is present, she will leave the crate only to grab a mouthful of food which she immediately takes back in her crate to eat. The only thing she has going for her is that she is not human aggressive. The poor thing is a very dark brindle with no white patches and a dark face, and is not a very pretty or appealing dog.

I know we can't save them all, and our rescue efforts should be directed to the ones that are adoptable. To balance all the times I must close my eyes and ears and just walk away, every once in a while, I need to reach out to one that would have no other hope. I committed myself to try and find an answer for this little girl, if at all possible, so I contacted both Megan and Tia to discuss her situation and get some input about their experiences with severely traumatized dogs.

Since both Megan and Tia are saints, they both volunteered to work with her, if I can get her to them. Tamara is taking care of shipping her for me. She has a crate that is airline approved, as she has shipped dogs previously. I will have the crate sent back to her upon arrival in California. Tam will also take care of getting the certificate from the vet. I am calling my own vet today for an opinion on what is best for sedating her for the trip.

You know, sometimes I think there is someone up there who watches out for certain dogs...

Mary Jane

Monday, April 17, 2000 - 11:00 AM

Things have happened very fast, and there is very good news to share with all of you. I had last spoken with Tam on Sunday night. Our agreement at that point was that, Patrick would probably visit with Tam the next day to try to determine if the dog was really in such bad shape that euthanizing her was the most humane thing to do and then the dog would be either taken to the vet or shipped to California.

This morning, Patrick called me from Tam's house. He felt that Little Girl was not in such severe state and that she could definitely be saved (Keep in mind, this nice guy drove 3 hours each way!). Patrick immediately started calling her Precious - I think that is a wonderful new name for her. He took Precious back with him in the crate and kept the music soft and low and kept talking to her in a soothing voice. She did not freak out with his dog, but was uninterested. I spoke with Patrick again later tonight and he continues to report that she is scared, she startles easily, and is very timid. But she does meet his eyes, and has spent time out of the crate. When we talked, his dog was separated from her and she was stretched out near him. As we talked, he reported that she fell asleep. He is very positive that Precious is not so far gone that she is beyond help. He is not minimizing her trauma or saying that she will snap right out the fearful state that she is in. He admits that it will take some work, but feels that she will be worth it. And, it looks like he is already emotionally invested in her.

Precious has a lot of scarring and scabs. He says that she may also have some chemical burns of some sort around the neck, but is taking everything very slowly so has not examined her closely. Patrick is moving on Saturday, and has committed to keeping her at least that long. This gives me a few days to review options and decide how I will get her to California.

I am so delighted to be a part of such a wonderful group of people who can care so deeply about one little dog they have never even seen. Hugs to all of you.

Mary Jane