Twin Cities Pit Bull Recovering After Extreme Neglect

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A Twin Cities rescue group is calling it one of the worst neglect cases it has ever dealt with.

Ruff Start Rescue took in Pixie the pit bull more than a week ago after she was likely abandoned by her previous owners.

She was so emaciated and dehydrated that there was concern whether the dog would make it through the night.

"I've seen, maybe, three dogs that are in this rough of shape in the past six years locally that have come out of the Twin Cities area," Ruff Start founder Azure Davis said.

Pixie arrived at St. Paul Animal Control's shelter covered in her own feces and barely to move. It is believed she was abandoned and confined in an undersized kennel.

She had urine burns on her feet and weighed 33 pounds. Ruff Start took her in immediately.

"It's hard because you know how sweet she is. She was somebody's dog at one point and it's hard to know someone left her like that," Davis said.

Chris Maddox then gave her a temporary home. He has been caring for the dog around the clock for the last ten days.

"She couldn't even take in water. She was so weak the first day that we had her," Maddox said.

He sees small improvements in Pixie every day. Possible frostbite to her ears is healing, the scars and discoloring left from living in her own waste are fading and she has adding weight to her 33-pound frame. A dog her size weighs about 60 pounds on average.

"She looks so much better since she gained seven pounds," Davis said.

The dog that nearly lost her life now has a future with the family who eventually takes her in.

"She will be up for adoption," Davis said.

Pixie still has some lingering health issues and will not be available for adoption for about two months.

Click here for information on how to help with her recovery.