Rossi is a 4 year old pitbull terrier. To those familiar with them, pitties are renowned for their affectionate and gentle nature. However, breed-specific legislation and irresponsible humans have maligned the reputation of these dogs, even though as a breed they are no less loving members of families than golden retrievers or spaniels. Rossi herself was in a bad state and then went into in a foster home in the US in early 2015, where there was an unwitnessed incident with one of the other dogs in the home. The dogs weren't supposed to be left together unsupervised and it was a fatal mistake, leading to Rossi being officially labeled a dangerous dog - a situation made worse by her already having been born as a breed of dog that is believed in many states to be inherently aggressive.

Rossi's wonderful NPO animal rescue organization  saved her life in the only way they could - by sending her to a kennel that advertised behaviour therapy for aggressive dogs. Unfortunately this kennel proved to be a sham - not just ineffective, but downright detrimental to the animals. Many dogs left there with their issues worse than they were before, and a some left with new physical and emotional injuries. Rossi had arrived a physically healthy pitbull. The negative environment of that kennel was very intense and Rossi (who can get stressed out easily and doesn't cope well) started to decline quickly. Her rescue truly believed they were sending a great deal of funds for proper care and training. Meanwhile, Rossi lived in filthy outdoor pens 24/7 for all 4 seasons, getting very little human attention and interaction and even less interaction with other dogs, surviving in  very stressful surroundings. She was there for 7 months, her rescue organization paying a day-rate for 'behaviour therapy' to deal with Rossi's inability to cope with stress safely around other dogs - instead she got little to no contact with other dogs other than other more aggressive dogs through the fences, around her on all sides.

Rossi's rescue organization never gave up on her, and once they knew how she was doing they worked tirelessly to find somewhere else for her to go. Meanwhile, a friend and I continued to volunteer at the kennel for a short time longer, just to ensure someone gave those dogs real attention and care. Rossi's wonderul rescue organization had already spent thousands of dollars to support her and was continuing to do so and wanted to find something better, but had nowhere else for her to go. That's when her new foster, my friend and fellow volunteer and someone who knew Rossi personally, offered to take her in. By the time Rossi was out of that place and safe in her foster home (October 2015) she had numerous medical problems:

• Emaciation - Rossi was heartbreaking to look at when she finally got away from that kennel. When the out-of-country rescue representative questioned the kennel owner he just repeatedly said that it was because she had just been dewormed - but that wouldn't account for the fact that her entire spine and every rib was easily visible. It has taken months (and is an ongoing project) to get her to a healthy weight.
• Poor digestion and bloody stool - the kennel owner's food of choice is Ol' Roy Maximum, made by Walmart and arguably one of the worst dog foods on the market. For Rossi's insides to recover has required medication in addition to a diet of plain rice working back up to regular dog food. At least $300 has been invested in vet visits and treatment thus far, and this continues to be an ongoing issue.
• Tooth rot - possibly and likely also from the low quality food, but it could be any number of factors from the poor conditions in which she had been living. This tooth needs to be removed, requiring anesthesia and dental surgery estimated at $500 or more.
• Knee injury - when Rossi was picked up with a limp, her attentive and caring rescue organization questioned the kennel owner. He downplayed it as a simple pulled muscle from a couple of days earlier. After the vet reported it as a months' old injury that had gone ignored and would likely require surgery to heal, the rescue organization confronted the kennel owner again who begrudgingly admitted to the 'possibility' that his timeline was incorrect. However this injury occurred (or maybe this is how) it was no doubt aggravated by the fact that the kennel in question exercises dogs by attaching them to a metal trailer that's pulled behind a motorized quad - a good idea if used safely, but the kennel owner is known for (for example) not stopping when a dog wants to urinate or defecate, often resulting in dogs being dragged at least a short distance. We have had a number of different vets offer opinions, but the long and short of it is that she will need knee surgery estimated at $1500 but possibly more. Meanwhile this young, energetic, active dog has to be carefully exercised (and not very much) so she doesn't hurt herself further.
• Aggressive skin condition - Rossi has gruesome boils on her face and belly. This was first thought to be due to the kennel conditions - dogs lying, sitting, and standing all day in the same dirty sand they defecated and urinated into for months on end and that was certainly not cleaned daily, until it stank. Even after various ointments and oral treatments Rossi's beautiful face and delicate skin are still a mess, leading the veterinarian to believe it's a severe allergic reaction stemming from, again, the Ol' Roy Maximum excuse for 'food' being served to these dogs each day. Now we are in the process of treating the painful result itself as well as eliminating various meats and products from her diet to determine what might be causing it. Between medications and vet visits this is another $200-$300 investment.

Rossi went to this 'behaviour therapy' kennel a healthy, fit, active dog who needed work on interacting with other dogs. When she left she was a shadow of her former self, visibly defeated and depressed and suffering physical and emotional injuries at the hands of those people who were paid $18 every single day to take care of her for almost a year, and having had no opportunity to be around other dogs and do the work she was sent to do.

"Her rescue spent thousands of dollars on her to try and help her, for THIS. They were lied to. (The kennel operators) may not have beaten her or intentionally hurt her, but they didn't intentionally do much to help her either and in the end she is worse off for being there. But through all of this I still have a beautiful, loving animal sitting beside me. Dogs are inherently good and I think they deserve the same from humans."
- Rossi's new foster

Rossi's rescue organization continues to help her every way they can, even when have so many more animals desperately needing their care as well. These people donate their time and raise money tirelessly for dogs like her, but they need more help. We can't undo the reprehensible actions of these gutwrenching scammers, but we can work together to help this sweet girl get healthy again so she can have a REAL second chance.