From Homeless to Happy: An Abused Pit Bull Finds Her Forever Home

photo: © Shaina Fishman

The public first became aware of Lucy in 2011, when a heartbreaking

listing told the story of an abused, disfigured Pit Bull looking for a new home. Lucy had been rescued by a local man who found her wandering the streets of Bogota, Colombia, pregnant and starving. The good Samaritan contacted fellow animal lovers online about the abused dog he had taken into his home. That's when Lucy came to the attention of concerned

volunteer, Vivian Rodriquez.

Finding a Home

Vivian offered to fly to Colombia to bring Lucy to the United States. After six months of living in foster care, enough money was raised for Lucy to be relocated to the U.S. There she was put under the care of dog trainer Kim Barnett in Madison CT, where she continued her journey of physical and emotional healing. For the first time, Lucy was surrounded by loving people and animals, who wanted to heal, not hurt her.

photo: © Shaina Fishman

In Colombia, Lucy had been used as a submissive dog to train aggression in fighting dogs. Some of her teeth were pulled out so that she would be unable to fight off the male dogs who would repeatedly mate with her when she was in heat. Her twisted snout is the savage reminder of a brutal kick, which left her with a broken jaw that never properly set.

Moving Forward

During her many visits to the veterinarian, it was decided that Lucy's appearance posed no threat to her ability to eat or drink, therefore, she avoided the painful operation of having her jaw broken and reset. Along with her external wounds, it was determined that at just three-and-a-half-years-old, Lucy had been pregnant five or six times; leaving her uterus severely twisted. The veterinarian could not save both Lucy and her puppies, and decided to give Lucy a second chance at life.This was over a year-and-a-half-ago. As of last week, we are delighted to report that Lucy is happy and healthy, living in her new forever home!

Lucy with her new moms Paula and Dee. Photo: via Facebook.

In the words of her new mom, Paula, 

Lucy's story has brought awareness to the thousands of Pit Bulls around the world, who suffer at the hands of the cruel, greedy people involved in the dog fighting industry. Just last month,

in the second-largest dogfighting raid in U.S. history.There are many dogs like Lucy who need our help. If you're interested in learning more, visit the

website.