In 2007 HugABull was alerted to a gentle but sick pit bull named “Lovely” in a local shelter. When we saw her, we were shocked at her condition: emaciated, completely bald, covered in oozing sores, and swollen all over, particularly in her legs and feet. We postponed the temperament testing because she needed out - and vet care ASAP.

As though she knew we were there to help, Lovely used her last vestiges of energy to lick the assessor’s face and lean into her for comfort, before trying to take a few shaky steps after her to the car.

The vet was not optimistic, but agreed to make Lovely comfortable and began treating her multiple, serious infections with IV medication while waiting for blood test results. Lovely was anemic, starving, and severely dehydrated. She had a loud heart murmur which meant the infection had moved into her heart wall, and the swelling in her legs and feet likely indicated kidney failure.

Lovely survived the night, but remained in a light coma throughout. In the morning, her blood work came back indicating that all her organ systems were shutting down – she could not be saved. Lovely was let go in peace on the afternoon of May 24th, 2007.

Lovely’s condition and subsequent death was entirely unecessary. She was the product of backyard breeding by someone who cared more about profit than the health of his dogs. Even the veterinarian had never seen a dog so horribly affected by mange, and expressed anger and outrage and the suffering she’d had to endure.

We comfort ourselves in knowing that at the very least, Lovely’s last few hours were pain free, and not alone. We’re also comforted in the fact that we are able to save the siblings in her litter, whose outlook is much brighter.

In memory of Lovely, HugABull has created a donation fund which will be reserved for providing medical care to shelter pit bulls who have health issues which limit their adoptability, focusing especially on those suffering from demodectic mange.

Demodectic mange, or “demodex”, is a common affliction in young pit bulls who’ve experienced neglect and significant stress before arriving in the shelter system. It is not contagious, and with treatment, affected dogs generally recover fully. However, the treatment is very costly. One dog with generalized demodex, costs on average, $1000 to treat (vet care, food, shampoos, supplements), and will need to remain in foster care, on medication, for several months.

Read stories about some Lovely Fund recipients (coming soon!)