Daphne
Barely a year old, Daphne was found at the Berkeley Marina with 38 BB gun pellets lodged in her body and her ears crudely chopped off – a sadly common practice by cruel, ignorant thugs who want their pit bulls to have “cropped ears.” (They use box cutters, often on very young puppies.)
Vets at the shelter removed a number of the pellets, but 24 others are embedded in layers of flesh and scar tissue, indicating that Daphne had been shot over a period of time during multiple incidents. True to the forgiving, stoic nature of pit bulls, Daphne – though understandably a bit shy around humans – remains sweet and affectionate.
Last year in March, Berkeley Animal Con- trol found two other pit puppies with similar looks believed to be Daphne’s sisters, which had also been shot with BB guns. It’s possible her previous owner tried to make her fight and, when she showed no interest, tortured her and dumped her, and her sisters as well (sadly also common with pit bulls).
Daphne’s two sisters were adopted after surgeries to remove the pellets, but Animal Control plans to bring them back for additional x-rays. The surgeries for all three dogs will run into the thousands of dollars, which the struggling Berkeley shelter simply can’t afford. They are asking for donations to help defray the costs; without the surgeries Daphne may not survive, and will never have a chance to find the kindness she has never known in the wonderful forever home she so deserves.
Police suspect one owner is responsible for what happened to all three dogs, and are asking anyone with information to call 510-981-5970. It is likely there are more dogs involved.
Daphne is a beautiful girl – white with silver markings and that perfect all-American patch over one eye. She is spayed and up to date on her shots. If you are interested in adopting her, please visit her PetFinder page at www.petfinder.com/petdetail/21456885 or contact Lori at lorigardnerwilson@earthlink.net or 510-234-2911.
If you would like to make a donation to help with Daphne or her sisters’ surgeries, please call 510-981-6600 or e-mail Amelia Funghi at afunghi2@ci.berkeley.ca.us.
