«As soon as she walked into the fire station, her tail was wagging, and she was licking and waving at everyone.»
Ashley’s previous owners barely fed her, barely took her outside, and ultimately abandoned her.
Fortunately, Erica Mahnken, co-founder of No More Pain Rescue, and her fiancé Michael Favor rescued the one-year-old pit dog in January 2017.
“Someone informed us that there was a couple living in an abandoned house. . They had no heat or electricity, and they had a dog.» Shortly after the rescue, Mahnken told The Dodo.
The couple presumably left when a snowfall arrived. «I think they went and got a warm place to stay and left the dog behind,» Mahnken speculated. «So as soon as we got the phone call, we rushed to get her.»
Favor ordered Mahnken to stay in the car while he went inside to search for the dog. Later he would tell Mahnken how horrible it was. “There was no electricity in the house – it was very cold,” Mahnken explained. “She had no food or drink. The house was in ruins. The windows were smashed and there was excrement everywhere.
Ashley also had cigarette burns on the top of her head, which they observed.
Because No More Pain Rescue has no physical shelter, Mahnken and Favor had to place Ashley in foster care immediately. They have acquaintances at the New York City Fire Department (FDNY) and knew there was a dog at the Fort Pitt train station. So Mahnken and Favor asked the fire department if they could keep Ashley until they could find her a suitable home.
Ashley, on the other hand, was undamaged and she seemed like the happiest dog when Favor took her away.
«She ran downstairs, elated,» Mahnken explained. “She drove right into my car.
Ashley was underweight and emaciated. “Her ribs were all you could see since she was so thin. And the vet finally informed her that she was 25 pounds underweight.
Ashley seems content with this arrangement.
«Her tail was wagging as soon as she walked into the fire station, and she was hugging and welcoming everyone,» Mahnken added. “She was overjoyed. You wouldn’t have anticipated it given where she came from. You’d think she’d be a little nervous, but she wasn’t at all.
Unsurprisingly, the fire crew phoned Mahnken a few days later, asking for Ashley to be looked after.
“’We’re going to adopt him,’ they said. We are truly blown away by her. “She feels comfortable here,” Mahnken explained. “So I was overjoyed. And as soon as I brought her in there, I knew she belonged there.
Shley now works full time at the fire station.
«She’s always on the go — she runs little errands with them, she rides in the fire truck with them,» Mahnken explained.
“They take him for walks about 30 times a day. They take him to the roof to play. She’s still in the kitchen, watching them eat. She has an endless supply of sweets. She had a good life there.
