Ashton Needs A Forever Home!

Meet Ashton, Pit Crew's Rescue dog featured in the News and Observer!

Ashton

Ashton is currently 12 weeks old and has a great temperment.  She is spayed, current on all vaccines, and has consitently been on heartworm preventative and flea and tick preventative since she left the Fayetteville shelter.  She gets along with both cats and dogs. If you are interested in adopting or fostering Ashton, please contact me at (919) 457-3719 or email me at pitcrewpitbullrescue@gmail.com!

On a Thursday in late July, I heard about a blue nose pit bull in a shelter in Fayetteville that was scheduled for euthanasia.  The next day, I drove to the shelter in hopes of rescuing the dog.  When I arrived, I was told the dog was not available for adoption, but Shelter Coordinator Ann Chalker told me that they were overwhelmed with strays.  She said that there were approximately 70 other dogs, many of them pit bull type dogs, scheduled for euthanasia that week, any of which were available for adoption.

As Ann gave me a tour of the facility and showed me the many dogs available for adoption, my heart broke. I thought of the importance of spaying and neutering our pets, so many of these unnecessary deaths could have been prevented!  There were so many dogs: a mother nursing a litter of puppies, victims of dog fighting with horrific injuries, and so many others.  I wanted to take all the dogs there home with me and find them a forever home, but sadly, I knew I could only take one home, and as soon as I saw Ashton, I knew she was the puppy we were going to save.

Ashton and I before work in the morning

As we finished our tour of the shelter, Ann took us to our last stop, the puppy kennels.  The first cage on the top left housed the puppy we now call Ashton,  a beautiful female brindle pit bull mix.  I asked Ann if I could open the cage, and as soon as she said yes, I opened the door and reached in, picking up a frightened eight-week-old puppy.  Ann commented that the pup had been there for a “long time,” which in the Fayetteville shelter meant two weeks.  The pup had been scheduled for euthanasia the previous week, but she had been spared.  I told Ann I would take the pup, and she got the paperwork ready for me.

I paid the adoption fee for the Ashton and was told that I could pick her up Monday afternoon when she had recovered from her spay.  I could hardly wait for the weekend to be over!  On Monday afternoon, I drove to All Pets Hospital for Animals in Fayetteville where Dr. Byrd had performed Ashton’s spay.  I gave Ashton a Capstar to kill the many fleas covering the tiny puppy and took her home, where she slept deeply in her new crate surrounded by toys.

The next day, I brought Ashton to Six Forks Animal Hospital, where I am an intern, and Dr. Driscoll got Ashton up to date on her shots and performed a fecal test.  I read the results of the fecal test, and after confirming with Dr. Driscoll, we determined that she had roundworms and coccidia.  Ashton was treated for both parasites and got her first doses of heartworm preventative and flea and tick preventative. 

I have been fostering Ashton since I brought her home from the shelter, and she is a sweet and loving dog that will make a great addition to any family.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting Ashton, please contact me by phone at (919) 457-3719 or email me at pitcrewpitbullrescue@gmail.com!