The Beginning Of The Story
My name is Charity. My life began about 9 months ago. I was one of a litter of several and knew nothing of the world or the people in it. I knew my mother and warmth and hunger. I knew one day something was wrong when I was ripped from my mother with two of my sisters. We were hurt in ways we did not understand and could not make sense of what was wanted or expected of us. You see, we were born American Pit Bull Terriers and those who may not understand; we are a very loyal breed. We want only to please those who feed and care for us. Ideally, we would be nurtured and our sharp instincts used for wonderful things, like rescuing small children who have wandered away from a campground, or tunneling through debris at a World Trade Center when bad men do horrid things.But I was born into a world that does not understand us. The most decorated Army dog ever was my kind, and now... well... now they want to kill us all I understand. I am not so sure what it is that makes people hate us so. I know we grow into dogs with a powerful bite and we can do a lot of damage. But, basically, we will do what it is we are trained to do. If we are with a kind person, and we learn kindness from an early age, we can be the best friends ever. Some of us have an instinct that makes us what is called animal aggressive, and I know that is not such a good thing when we need to get along in a family. I was never aggressive. I never harmed anyone or anything... and neither did my two sisters, Faith and Hope. But because of what we are, bad people like to take us and make us do bad things. And those bad people make a lot of other humans hate us for what we are trained to do. But that is another story, sort of... though that story is the reason why things happened to us as they did. Our birth was brought about by one of those bad people with bad intentions. And the more people hate us, the more those bad people want us and the worse they treat us. And it is ok because we are just “Pit Bulls” and “Dumb Dogs.” They do not seem to understand that we feel pain, we feel when someone hates us, and we do not want to be hurt. So ... that is the world we were born into, but we did not understand all of that then. We just understood we had been ripped from our mother; we could not eat because we had no teeth; and, worse ... the man who bred us had a teenage son that was doing really bad things to us. I later learned that it was called sexual molestation, sodomy, or bestiality. I just knew that it hurt and I could hear my sisters crying when he would hurt them. Faith was so small and I tried really hard to protect her. I cannot tell you how many times this happened, though it could not have been many or we would not have lived. But it was enough to hurt us. One day the boy was seen hurting us and his father saw what was happening too. He rushed us to this place called the County Animal Shelter. I think we were supposed to be killed there and no one would ever question what happened, because most “Pits” that go into a place like that do not come out alive. But this was a good place with people who did care.The man told them the big dog down the road had “gotten to us.” I guess they figured that is how we got all those bite marks all over our bodies where the other dogs were allowed to hurt us. But they noticed there that we were very, very still, huddled together ... and we would not eat. I was very worried about my sisters. And they seemed to look to me. Then this woman and man came and got us and took us to a place called The Eagle’s Den. After that, things changed. They call it rescue, and I am glad we were rescued. I wish all of my kind could be because it gives us a chance. But... anyway... we saw a vet and he sort of guessed at what had happened to us. But the man was not punished, nor his son. All I know is there is something called an investigation into all those bad people and they really want to catch them all. They should. And I hope one day there will be some justice for me and my sisters.But the people will have to work that out because well... we are just dogs.And our story has not ended. Well, mine has, at least there where it hurt every time I went to the bathroom, but where life was so good I did not let on that I was hurting. You see, one day I just felt funny and then I went to sleep. I can remember wet tears on my face as the man and woman held me and I knew they were going to try and save me again. But I was just so tired. After having been in pain for so long and knowing my sisters were I just went to sleep and came to a place called Rainbow Bridge. It is very nice here. I have a lot of friends here. There are all kinds of dogs and many of my kind, many that were hurt like I was, and killed. And I can watch over Faith and Hope here. They have had surgery now to help them. After I came here everyone knew we were not alright. We were rambunctious pups, yes. And we were scared pups because of all we went through. All we really wanted was a friend and to play and be happy. I am rooting for Faith and Hope now and I watch over them from here. They had the surgery they needed to fix the pain. They may not understand the pain they are in right now, but it will get better now.There are a lot of people upset because of what happened to us. And I am very glad they are upset. If I could tell them anything that would help: make it stop; but not just this man. Make it all stop. Get the people who make laws to write some that will protect us. What happened to us is against the law. That is a fact. But there are no federal laws to help us, and they get away with it time and again. Anyone who wants to see how often this happens, just type the word Canine sexual molestation into your computers and look. But you only see the cases that get reported. And not much happens in those cases. Even when they kill us, not much happens. So if you want to help, if you want it to stop ... there is only one way. Make it illegal all over the United States. Make uniform laws so that all animal abuse carries mandatory sentences. Other countries protect their companion animals. If you guys who have prayed so hard and whose love I feel so strongly want to help ... make it stop. Make them hear you. They have never heard us. Faith’s surgery went really well, even though she was the sickest. Hope had hers and she is doing ok now. Ironically, Hope may have already been here at Rainbow Bridge, but some of the abuse actually saved her. When they did her surgery, they found a piece of metal in her intestines, surrounded by flesh. It was blocking a tear. They had to cut off a lot more of her intestines than they did Faith’s, but she will be ok now ... I HOPE. That piece of metal stopped poison from spilling into her body at least, even though it did damage, it helped her to stay alive long enough to get the surgery to save her life. I am watching, and I am hoping this will make people wake up and realize what goes on with us when we are bred for all the wrong reasons. I hope people will stop punishing our breed for what these people do and realize what we go through. I wish they all could be rescued. I wish there was no reason to rescue.There is one more thing I have seen since I came to Rainbow Bridge. All of you are very caring and good people. My sisters were able to have their surgery because people cared enough to help them live. They have a long way to go, but thank you for helping them. I’ll be watching... and one day I will see all of you here at the Bridge; because I am everyone’s dog who had a part in saving my sisters. Thank You.
Thank You for Loving Us
(top) Faith (middle) Charity (bottom) Hope.
The Story Continues
I have come to talk to you again and YES, to tell you the same story, but I have to add something and need to add it first. Some of you may be reading this for the first time. If you are, I know it is long and may be hard to read and understand that some people can be so mean. And some of you may be very tired of hearing it if you have read it before. The fact is, the problem is still out there, and as you are reading this there have been some things happen... things that are happening right now. Hope is fighting for her life again. She is not giving up as she is not as tired as I was. You helped her before and helped her to grow strong. But she has never really gotten past so many infections from the surgery she had to repair the damage from the sexual abuse. She would get infections almost everywhere, and would just take another antibiotic. But this time it just got worse and the blood came again. She started drooling a lot like I did and there was a lot of fear, so the vet has to see inside to know what is going on. She is seeing a specialist and it is going to be expensive again. But I am asking that you not let her die because of that.I know “Mom and Dad” will not. And I hope this will soon be over for them. The vet said once they stop growing, while there will always be a danger for them; the worst danger is now during the growth period. They are 9 months so they are halfway there at least. It cost a lot of money for the surgeries. I know. And we all hope this will not be as much, but Hope wants to live. She is fighting so hard.
UPDATE: Hope is home and doing well, preparing for the surgery that she still must undergo. She will need the surgery before Christmas. The stronger she is, the better for her. Hope has been through so much. We will walk each mile of this path with her. Share our story, pray, send warm thoughts
Charity
This is a photo of Hope and what was posted after the photo
I wanted to do a brief update and Faith and Hope. They are going to have their surgery. Faith will be first as the perforations are worse for her. Neither of the two are showing signs of being sick. Their appetites are good, but there is ... of course...blood in their feces. That is the first alarm that goes off, and we have learned through these girls that dogs can have blood in their feces for almost any reason. And the neighbors are now giving me strange looks after months of seeing me examine poop piles. Most people scoop the poop...I examine it thoroughly. My dog is even giving me strange looks (my Miniature Schnauzer). He looks back to see if I am examining his too.
It is strange the things we take for granted until something like this happens. I always knew I wanted to rescue dogs that had been hurt and needed a safe place to land. My husband is a fan of the senior dogs that get dumped simply because they are old. We never thought our lives would be so affected by three little pups. Until this happened, I could not imagine a human so twisted and perverted that he would do this to puppies. And for those who had questions, I do tend to forget that there are people coming in who have not read this before:We took three little APBT pups that had been dumped at the shelter and were not eating or moving around a lot. That sat huddled together. When we got them home, and we had the opportunity to see them walk, they walked with their butts almost tucked up under them and their tails laid to the side rather than straight down. We could clearly see that there was something wrong. They refused to eat and had given up period. We took them to see our vet who discovered the protrusion we had seen at their anus was part of their intestines. The injuries were consistent with anal penetration. However, no one would speak up and say for sure what had happened. We knew... but without more proof, we could not say who had done this. There were two people who knew what had happened. One was a neighbor and while we were trying to gather enough info to pursue charges for the pups, the neighbor did tell us what they knew. The man who breeds, sells and fights Pits has a son who has a fondness for bestiality. He knew the neighbor had seen what happened, threatened the neighbor and the threat largely worked. They will not come forward and only told us what they did because the man has moved. Still they are afraid of him as he has a history of violence and drugs.The other person who knows what happened cannot be named. She does keep tabs on him, and should the full truth of her involvement in reporting this man come out, she would lose her job. I will be happy to tell anyone why in a PM. I MUST honor her request here to remain anonymous. Once you hear why...you will understand. Plus... she is a resource for always knowing where this man is.The dogs were sodomized by the man’s son, had bite marks all over them where other dogs had harmed them, and they showed other signs of abuse. They cower when anyone pocks up a broom or a rake. They approach everyone the first time crawling forward, but wagging their entire bodies, begging to be petted and loved. At the first loud noise, they immediately roll to their back...which reveals scarring. The external scars are healing gradually and may one day all be hidden beneath their coats. We try and keep their coats combed ... and they enjoy the attention.Since they had grown and were not showing any signs of sickness at all, we became complacent and will always feel terrible about that. We had been warned and we were watching for signs, but somehow missed all the red flags that had shot up with Charity. The fact they looked good meant to us they were doing well. They were up to date on all vaccines and we were diligently working to try and socialize young animals that believed every human was going to hurt them. It took a long time to establish trust and we did become complacent. So Charity getting sick was something we were not prepared for. Before we had time to react, she was in a coma, and then she was gone. As a result, we opted to have Faith and Hope checked immediately. We learned there are tears, severe scarring and they will meet Charity’s fate without treatment and surgery. The surgery will hopefully repair most of the damage done so they will have a chance to live.If they survive the surgery, and their chances for that at this point are good, they WILL have a good chance to survive... though they will have to always be monitored closely. Since their chances are best if the surgery is done now, we made the decision to do what we have to do for the two girls who we know deserve a chance to live and be happy. The cost of the procedure was reduced because we are a rescue and the price quoted earlier was a reduced price over what the surgery would normally be. This surgery will be performed through the NC State School of Veterinary Medicine, and the cost would normally be double the $2500 per dog we have been asked to pay. So we are grateful for this. We have also been told by a number of people that most people would just opt to let the dogs go. We cannot do that while there is a chance for them to live and know they are loved and worthwhile. Since the money did have to be paid up front, we had an anonymous person pay the bill for us and allow us to pay them back as we get the funds. This wonderful gesture has made it possible for the two to go forward and have their surgery. I know all of you care. I have felt the strength of your best wishes, concern and love and I know that your thoughts and prayers have reached the dogs as well. I would like to ask that you extend those prayers to cover all of Eagle’s Den as we have been hit very hard lately. Some of you have been following all that has gone on and your best wishes, prayers and donations have been very much appreciated. Through these three American Pit Bull Terriers, and through Sugar, Twinkie and Lil Man, I have seen the best in human nature. If anything good has come from all of this, it is the fact that the lowest life form that causes harm and death to an entire species: “man’s best friend,” has caused the best of humans to step forward and to unite. You have proven that people can and do care about injustice and are willing to stand and fight for what they believe in. Recent events had led me to be very cynical of my own species, but you guys have renewed my faith, strength and resolve. Thank you for everything you have done.Right now, I want to get this part of the issue behind us. I need to focus and concentrate on the dogs, Faith and Hope ... and also on the others here at the Den. Jerry and I do want to pursue whatever justice we can bring for the dogs in our care, as well as for those who are still being abused by this scumbag. We ask that you allow us to get through the surgery before we go further with anything else. We will be acting on the best of our options as soon as this is over. Of course, I still have to convince Jerry that “the best option” does not involve a baseball bat, a pair of tweezers, and a carving knife. (he is convinced that anyone who would do this only requires tweezers to hold the anatomical structure to be cut off.)As soon as I have further details, I will share them. Please keep sharing the post, and please continue to pray (regardless of your faith) for these two pups.I chose this picture of Hope because it shows the way they all stood and walked for long time.To donate please utilize our Pay Pal account at:
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or Chip In
http://eaglesdenrescue1.chipin.com/in-memory-of-charity
Donations may be made by mail to:
Eagle's Den Animal Haven & Rescue, Inc.
1453 Campbell Road
Clarkton, NC 28433.
I do not have the words to express how these pups story has affected me, I have seen cruelty first hand but never have I come across such depravity and complete EVIL ( there is no other words for it ) as this. I read Charity’s story with tears streaming down my face.
SO Massive Power Of The Paw for these little ladies please my friends
Momma Tea
