In January 2017, New York-based animal rescue organization No More Pain Rescue received a call about a pit bull abandoned by her owners in a decrepit house.
The house had no electricity or heat, and so when a snowstorm hit New York, the dog’s owners left. They also left their poor dog Ashley in the freezing house.
No More Pain Rescue’s co-founder, Erica Mahnken, and her fiancé Michael Favor quickly rushed over to the house to save Ashley. When they got to the house, Favor went inside to look for Ashley.
“There was no electricity in the house – it was freezing,” Mahnken told The Dodo. “No food, no water for her. The house was a disaster. The windows were broken, and there was feces all over the place.”
Favor found Ashley and brought her outside. Mahnken was shocked to see how skinny the poor dog was—she later found out that Ashley was 25 pounds underweight. She also had cigarette burns on her head. But even though the dog was in pain, she was still as joyful as could be. She ran up to Mahnken, tail wagging, and jumped straight into her car.
Mahnken and Favor wanted to get Ashley to a warm place as quickly as possible. She had friends at the New York City Fire Department’s Fort Pitt Station, and she knew they had had a station dog before.
Mahnken called up Fort Pitt Station and asked if they would take Ashley in while Mahnken searched for a foster home. They agreed right away.
Ashley was thrilled to be at the fire station. She started wagging her tail and licking all the firefighters. She loved everyone there from the moment she met them!
The firefighters also quickly fell in love with Ashley. A few days after she arrived, the firefighters called up Mahnken and asked to keep the pitbull.
“They said, ‘We’re going to adopt her. We just love her so much. She is at home here,'” Mahnken said. “So I was thrilled. And as soon as I walked her in there, I knew that that’s where she belonged.”
Ashley has a great life at the fire station.
The firefighters take her for tons of walks, and she also gets to run and play on the station’s roof. When she’s not running around, she usually hangs out in the kitchen, where she gets endless treats. She also goes on small runs with the firefighters, and she even has her own seat in their firetruck!
“I’m so glad we got her into a home that will show her nothing but love, and not make her into the pit bull that people love to hate so quickly,” Mahnken said. “It was an unbelievable feeling to know that that’s where she belonged.”
Ashley has found a wonderful home with tons of people who love her. To see more of Ashley’s adventures, check out her Instagram page.
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