Teeny Pit Bull, Big Miracle



Clover about 3 weeks after rescue--with
his "Dumpty"



Hello, readers. It's Tuesday, and you need to hear something good. Pictured here is Clover, a 6ish-month-old Pit Bull who has made a rather amazing recovery in the last month. When CBBR volunteers visited Anti-Cruelty Society in Chicago to check out a litter of 9 orphaned puppies, the wonderful volunteers made sure we also met Clover. He weighed in at just 25 lbs, and was covered with scratches and what appeared to be bite wounds. He was almost catatonic. The volunteers were taking turns holding him like a baby and carrying with them as they worked. He was so frightened of the loud dog aisle that they moved him into the cat and bunny room. Clover had been brought to ACS with his friend or sister--who was already dead. The people who dumped them literally dragged her lifeless body into the shelter. We couldn't leave Clover behind.



Clover before.



Enter Ruth, a dedicated animal rescuer who usually rehabilitates kitties with Hyde Park Cats. She happened to have an empty house for the month and agreed to take this broken hearted little guy and see what she could do. Clover has bloomed in Ruth's patient care. Rather than force Clover into a scary routine, Ruth dedicated herself to watching Clover's behavior in order to learn what he needed. He was timid and quiet at first, retreating to his kennel often.

Clover had clearly been mistreated by humans. Though he has never been aggressive, he was very fearful, and it took some time before he realized that he was somehow now in the presence of only kind people. He has proven himself calm and trusting when he meets new people, and he even likes kids. He also LOVES the big friendly cat in his foster home. He wags at him and tries to get him to play. This got us to thinking that maybe he'd like to have a dog friend, but we wondered if his bad experiences might make this too stressful for him. This was a job for Beatrice--our resident dog with a major gift for helping depressed dogs find joy again. Long story short, it's pretty clear that Clover loves dogs, too. (See the video for the hilarious proof.)

We're happy to report that this little micro pittie is ready for a foster or adoptive home. He's quiet, polite, friendly, intelligent, and adorable. His perfect home has responsible, loving humans and at least one cat and one friendly dog. Cheers to the ACS Volunteers who kept Clover's body and soul alive long enough to find safety, and HUGE cheers to Ruth who made this miracle happen. If you'd like to open your home to Clover click here.