The sheriff had to stop a train to save an injured Pit Bull

We received an urgent call about a badly injured pit bull on an active railroad track. You won't believe the deep cut we found on his leg. 

At Hope For Paws we rescue so many injured animals, but Hulk's injury was the worst we have ever seen. When we got to the rescue location, Hulk was sleeping next to a busy railroad track. Eldad and I tried to quietly and carefully approach him with a gentle snare, but he woke up and growled at us.

He was in so much pain and just wanted to be left alone and die. We weren't about to give up and as we got closer, Hulk got up and started running. This is when we saw the extent of his horrific injury. This wasn't caused by an accident, someone did this to him. Hulk kept running away from us, but with an injury like that he started to get tired fast. Eldad was able to out run him and Hulk turned around and surrendered to me.

Even in such pain and after incredible abuse, Hulk trusted humans, because his heart was pure love. And yet, Pit Bulls are the most killed breed in shelters in America. Pit Bulls are extremely misunderstood because of bad breeding and training practices. 

Pit Bulls have a strong desire to please people and are extremely loyal, affectionate, friendly, playful, and very athletic.

Yes, the Pit Bull does have a high prey drive due to it's breeding to chase and subdue livestock and they were used for hunting and for protection on farms in old England, but Pit Bulls are not naturally aggressive towards humans and are very affectionate towards children. But as with any dog, they need proper training and discipline. 

Fun Fact: Did you know that the most decorated dog of World War 1 was a Pit Bull named Sergeant Stubby? In between his 17 battles on the western Front, Stubby helped comfort wounded soldiers.

While Pit Bulls have a bad reputation, any dog can turn to be aggressive if raised a certain way. It all depends on training and for what purpose a person owns a Pit Bull. Dog fighting is happening all over the country and some of these dogs are used as bait and some are trained to kill, but these animals are totally innocent animals. The moment they are born, whoever decides to raise the dog decides their fate. Most I hope, become loving forever pets, but many will become abused, exploited and trained to do bad things. If you would like to get to know this gentle breed closer, please go to your local shelter or a rescue organization to volunteer or to foster a Pit Bull. You'll get the opportunity to learn how special and innocent these dogs are. Out of all the bites that I have taken on rescues, it was never a Pit Bull, it was either a chihuahua, Maltese or a poodle! Most Pit Bulls were just so happy to be saved. 

All they want is love and security in a loving forever home. If we didn't get to save Hulk in time and animal control got there first, he would have been dead. Pit Bulls hardly ever make it out of a shelter alive and with an injury like this he was guaranteed to be put to sleep. Thanks to your donations and support we were able to save Hulk who had a couple of really complicated surgeries. Not only his shoulder and muscle had to be repaired, but he also had a severely broken jaw and teeth, and had to have wires and composite splints in his mouth for many weeks. We are so grateful to you for the support, but also to Paw Prints In The Sand Rescue who handled his adoption, and their foster who took care of Hulk during his recovery. 

This video is very special to me and very close to my heart, because Hulk taught me that no matter what you go through in life, things will get better, as they did for him. Months later not only did he get adopted to a perfect forever family, but he also appeared in a video with a superstar DJ Marshmello. Now that's a rags to riches story you don't want to miss! 

With all my love and gratitude,

xo Loreta