It’s always good when a story has a happy ending. Sometimes they start off sad and get way better and Ashley’s story is no different.
Before she was saved, Ashley’s family didn’t feed her or let her go outside, and just overall didn’t take care of her. Good thing Erica Mahnken, aka the cofounder of No More Pain Rescue, and her fiance Michael Favor, came to her just in the nick of time.
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In an interview with The Dodo, Mahnken says, “We got a phone call from somebody that there was a couple living in an abandoned house. They had no heat or electricity, and they had a dog there.”
Ashley’s previous family must have been in dire financial trouble because they not only abandoned their dog but their home in general. After a snowstorm came through, they left Ashley all alone and No More Pain Rescue rushed to the house.
Favor rushed into the house while Mahnken stayed in the car because they weren’t sure what they were getting into. Later Mahken said that her fiance said the house had, “No food, no water for her. The house was a disaster. The windows were broken, and there was feces all over the place.”
These are conditions no dog should ever have to endure.
Surprisingly, Ashley was unharmed and and not skittish at all, considering not having any food or water. Mahnken said, “She came running down, super happy. She jumped straight into my car.” If that doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will!
She continued onto say, “All you saw were her ribs – she was so skinny. And the vet later said she was 25 pounds underweight.” They also noticed the worst part of this whole ordeal, there were cigarette burns on the top of her head.
No More Pain Rescue doesn’t have an actual shelter, so they needed to find a home for sweet Ashley. That’s when they reached out to the New York City Fire Department, mainly the Fort Pitt station. They had a dog previously, so they asked them to watch Ashley until they could find a forever home.
Little did they know, Fort Pitt was going to be Ashley’s forever home. A few days after having her they asked to keep her.
Mahnken said, “As soon as she walked into the firehouse, her tail was wagging, and she was licking and greeting everybody. She was super happy. From where she came from, you wouldn’t really expect that. You would think that she’d be a little skittish, but she wasn’t at all.”
Looks like Ashley will fit right in, even though she’s not a dalmation! Sounds like she’s loving it there too. Mahnken said that:
“She’s constantly on the go – she goes on smaller runs with them, she goes on the fire truck with them. They walk her about 30 times a day. They bring her on the roof to play. She’s constantly in the kitchen watching them eat. She has endless supplies of treats. She has the life over there.”
I told you there was a light at the end of the story!
If you want to see more images of how Ashley is doing, check out her Instagram here!