County Animal Services Witnesses A Holiday ‘Miracle’

Badly Injured Dog Recovers And Seeks Home

BREVARD COUNTY, FLORIDA – Brevard County Animal Services Rescue Coordinator Tracey Breen has already witnessed a “Miracle” this holiday season.

“Miracle” is the name she gave to a female brindle pit bull mix that wound up at the South Animal Care Center in late October, clinging to life.

The dog, with its neck sliced deeply from shoulder to shoulder, had apparently been left to die and was dumped off at a moving and storage business in Cocoa.

“It was a perfect cut — not like an attack, which would have been jagged. We can only speculate that it was purposely done,” Breen said. “Our first reaction was, well, it was horror. She was left to bleed to death with a gaping wound.”

It took two hours of surgery by Dr. Robbie Asher, veterinarian for the county’s North and South Animal Care Centers, to repair and stitch the wound. But the dog survived and is reportedly happy and doing well following a mid-November veterinarian checkup.

“I dubbed her ‘Miracle’ because everybody needs a name and she was a miracle. She’s a happy-go-lucky dog. She loves people, she’s very friendly and good with other dogs,” Breen said. And then with a laugh in her voice, Breen said, “but not so much with cats.”

In mid-November, Miracle was turned over to Orlando Bully Rescue, a pit bull rescue organization in Orlando. She’s now in a foster home awaiting adoption. The county frequently utilizes animal rescue groups throughout Florida and out of state to find homes for various breeds of adoptable dogs, Breen said.

Unfortunately, the county shelters routinely see animals brought in that are covered with scars, show signs of starvation or that have been abused and neglected.

In the past year, 15,226 animals were taken in at the shelters. That’s a decline from the previous year, which saw 16,286 animals taken in, according to Kathy Beatson, Interim Director for Brevard County Animal Service and Enforcement.

“That’s a natural thing for us to see here,” Breen said. “Some of the things we’ve seen come through here, it’s not that you get accustomed to it but nothing fazes you anymore. It’s daily, weekly and things people would never expect. Everybody thinks people tend to neglect or be mean or get rid of pit bulls, but you see it in a lot of small breeds. A lot come in here matted to a level you can’t tell what breed they are. Some can’t even walk they’re so matted and in such bad shape.”

Beatson said, “It’s important for people to remember our shelters are where lives are saved; a place where this ‘Miracle’ happens.”

A lot of the animals brought into the shelters are pit bull or pit bull-mixed breed.

Breen said 20 percent are adopted out through the shelters, but the county utilizes breed-specific rescue organizations because people looking for certain types of dogs go to them.

“Someone looking for a pit bull may not come through the shelter and may prefer going through a rescue,” she said. “And at the rescues, they go straight into Foster homes.”

Breen can only speculate how or why Miracle wound up with her gaping neck wound.

“If someone tried to fight her and she didn’t want to, that’s a possibility we’ll never know, but to do that and to dump a dog in that condition,” she said. “It wasn’t that she had been left somewhere that was visible to get help.”

Breen said she’s confident Miracle will soon find a loving home.

“Her disposition is amazing,” she said. “She’s so friendly.”

For information about adopting “Miracle” or any of the homeless pets at Brevard County Animal Shelters, call 321-253-6608 or 321-264-5066 or visit http://www.brevardcounty.us/AnimalServices/.

 

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