Rescue Dog Pit Bull Lilly

My pit bull, Lilly has a unique story to the beginning of her life. Like a handful of her
breed, she was mistreated, abused, neglected, and left with no definitive future. The
first time I met Lilly I was on vacation in South Carolina. Now my only intentions
when vacationing in Myrtle Beach in the summer of 2007 were like anyone else, to
have a typical summer escape. However it so happened that the beach’s local
animal shelter was only two blocks down the street. At the time, pit bulls were a
pretty commonly mentioned bred due to the horrific events that took place on
former NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s property.

I had no real intention of adopting a dog, but something compelled me to at least
take a look at what the shelter had to offer. When I entered the shelter, it was your
typical southern volunteer building. The stench of urine, cats, dogs, and who
knows else still remains a vivid memory of mine. I went to the front desk to ask
them if they had any pit bulls for adoption. They immediately replied, “yes we have
two sisters that are here.” I walked curiously back to the kennels where the dogs
were, not sure what exactly I was going to find. However when I got back there I
saw Lilly for the first time. Malnourished and curious herself, she remained close
to her sister Willow towards the back of the kennel.

I asked them to take her out for me and they did, which was much
easier said than done. It was evident that the only person that Lilly
trusted at that point was the owner of the shelter who took care of the
dogs. She tried to leave Lilly and I alone, which proved to be very
difficult. She was terrified of me, and very cautious of every move I
made. Even though Lilly seemed impossible to own in a hypothetical
situation due to this behavior, something in me felt like I could save
her. Now at this time I had fantasized about owning a dog, and what
better way than rescuing one? I went back to the owner and told her I
would rescue her. She was very pleased to hear that I wanted to help
her out, and immediately started to gather all records that belonged to
Lilly.

Bringing Lilly back to our home in Virginia was a very interesting situation. I did not know how she would react to our other
Springer Spaniel. What if she was too far damaged emotionally to be acclimated to her new home? At first she kept to herself
with her tail constantly in between her legs in fear, however right from the get-go she seemed to be getting more comfortable. I
often thought during the first few days, “she must have some idea that her life now is a million times better now than where she
was.” She took to me a lot better than I thought she would, starting to show signs of trust. As the weeks passed, it became more
obvious to me that her previous owner (prior to the shelter) abused her and was most likely a man. When a female would
approach her, she was cautious but still open to smelling them and finding out who they were. Any male who approached her was
a totally different story. She would immediately look for me, or hide. I never gave up on her though, I felt that time would only
improve her behavior

It has been more than a year and a half now, and Lilly is a totally
different dog. She’s always been extremely obedient, but now her
motherly and dominant instinct seems to take over. With two other dogs
in our house, she knows how to play with them appropriately. She has
made a completely one hundred and eighty degree turn from where she
was initially. She trusts everyone, and has no problem with strangers.
Her tail always wags high in the air, and is always so playful. It is
instant gratification for me to know that instead of buying a new puppy, I
rescued one, gave her the chance, and watched her progress into the
great dog she is today.

For more great dog rescue stories, click here!