She’s believed to have spent the better part of her life as a bait dog, but this sweet Pit Bull persevered and overcame the trauma of her early abuse, emerging as a shining example of a dog’s enduring capacity for love.
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Abigail now lives with her adoptive family in Fort Meyers, Florida, but she was out in Beverly Hills on September 16 to accept the American Humane Association’s Hero Dog of the Year award.
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Her story, American Humane Association president Robin Ganzert said, touched so many people because of the amount of trauma and suffering she’d endured, yet was still able to find it in her heart to trust and love again.
“So many of our hero dogs overcame great odds to do good things for others even when they themselves were in need of help,”he added.
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Needless to say, the future obviously wasn’t always so bright for Abigail, who’d suffered numerous wounds during her ordeal and was missing one entire ear.
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Late last year, she was picked up as a stray and brought to a shelter in Miami, then taken in as a foster by Victoria Frazier, who operates Ft. Meyers-based Love Is Fur Ever Dog Rescue. During her recovery, Victoria noticed that the bandages that covered the poor pup’s head almost looked like bonnets, so she completed the look with some accessories:
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Once word of Abigail’s story spread, people from all over started sending in other accessories, including hats and headbands:
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Not long after taking Abigail in, Victoria entered her in the hero dog contest. She and the other six finalists were able to raise money for the charity of their choice. In Abigail’s case, the funds were donated to Dogs on Deployment, a national non-profit that finds foster homes for deployed military members.
Meanwhile, Abigail stayed at Victoria’s home to recuperate but eventually found a forever home with Megan and Jason Steinke, who are also parents to another rescue pit bull.
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“We really hope that people look at Abigail, this Pit Bull, and see that she has defied the odds,”Megan said of her little hero. “She is hope.â€
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