Early one morning, the call came in from the police. An officer had found a dog with an
apparently broken leg, limping in the street. Down the block, there lived a man the police
knew to be concerned about animals. In his backyard, he had several empty dog-runs that
the police often used for strays until animal control could come and pick them up. The
police officer was able to lure the dog into the run....
It was obvious that the dog was in severe pain and required immediate attention, so the
officer called Treehouse. We dispatched two of our Humane Investigators as well as a
photographer to check out the situation.
When we arrived the first thing that we noticed was that the officer had neglected to
mention the dog was a large "Pit Bull" - the type which are commonly used for
fighting. The second thing that we noticed was that the joint in the carpus area of his
foreleg was swollen up to the size of a softball. Additionally the poor dog had numerous
cuts and scrapes along his body.
When the door to the run was opened, the dog started shaking and retreated to the back
corner. Being trained professionals, the Humane Investigators wisely refrained from
pursuing the dog in order to fit a collar on him. However the photographer chose to ignore
the dog’s behavior and rushed in with the collar.
Fortunately the dog had a temperament which was more befitting the image of a docile
puppy than of a ferocious Pit Bull, and he allowed the photographer to slip the collar
around his neck - and even offered up a few licks to the hand that was helping him.
In the van, we were able to notice that — in additon to his current injuries
— the dog (now christened "Buttercup" — a name which defies his
appearance as much as his temperament belies the Pit Bull legacy) had numerous healed
teeth and bite marks all over his head. These were strong signs that he had been used as a
fighter.
"Buttercup’s" prognosis was not good. His leg was filled with fluid and
the surgery required to fix the joint would cost more than a thousand dollars. As well,
the chances of an adult male Pit Bull who had previously been a trained a trained fighting
dog being adopted are rather slim. Nonetheless, Treehouse agreed to pay for the care that
"Buttercup" received.
Happily, the man whose run "Buttercup" was first led to agreed to let
"Buttercup" stay until the dog finds a home.....
****UPDATE****
....and now he lives with us and his best friend Billy, Happily Ever After
A special Thanks to that Angel from Heaven on that fateful day, in the form of a
Chicago Policewoman. Also many Thanks to Uncle Laszlo for having the intuition to give
this dog a second chance at life.