OLIVE - Survived a meth lab explosion,
the shelter, and found her forever family!

By Eve-Marie Kuntzman, Director of Fundraising, Angel City Pit Bulls
Photos courtesy of Angel City Pit Bulls

If there ever were a rags-to-riches tale involving the rescue of a dog, it would be about Olive. One day in the fall of 2010, Animal Control officers were called to respond to a house where there had been an explosion. When the officers arrived, they discovered what had been a methamphetamine lab, in the heart of an area notorious for criminal activity of this nature, and this lab had exploded. They weren’t the fire department or the Drug Enforcement Administration, they were Animal Control. Why, then, were they dispatched to this scene? They soon discovered the reason: A sweet little black Pit Bull, who somehow survived the explosion, emerged—she was scarred from head to toe and pregnant.

Olive was immediately transported to the nearest animal shelter in Los Angeles, where she was treated for injuries and her health was assessed, with particular focus on the late stage of her pregnancy. Clearly a dog who had been used multiple times for breeding, Olive gave birth to her litter in the shelter; her tender hearted talents as a mother won the affections of staff and volunteers alike. One by one, her adorable babies were adopted into good homes, and, day after day, visitors passed by her kennel, expressing no interest. With so many strikes stacked up against her—Pit Bull, black, covered in scars—folks who came to visit the shelter in search of their new furry friend didn’t stop to look at Olive twice.

Her scars alone made folks wonder whether she might have been used as a bait dog in a fighting ring (even as hard as that would be to conceive, given her sweet, loving nature and her congeniality towards everyone she met). To complicate matters, Olive had a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in her leg, an injury that would require surgery to repair. The volunteers and staff of the shelter refused to give up on her, however, and took it upon themselves to work very hard to find Olive a forever home of her own. Surely there was someone out there who could see past the scars and who understood the wisdom of not judging a book by its cover.

For five months, Olive languished at the shelter. Those who are familiar with shelters in Los Angeles know that an animal residing there for this length of time is practically unheard of. This refusal to surrender the search for Olive’s new home is testament to the affection that was felt for Olive by the shelter staff and volunteers. Relentlessly, these devoted advocates continued to look for a solution. That’s when Angel City Pit Bulls stepped in, and Olive took her first steps towards her new life.

Angel City Pit Bulls takes in dogs from different shelters all across Los Angeles. Despite their recognition that Olive’s rescue would entail an expensive surgery bill and diligent rehabilitation, Angel City knew she deserved a chance, and they would do everything to make sure she got that chance. Olive’s surgery was scheduled in San Clemente with an orthopedic specialist who uses an innovative procedure to repair torn ACLs. In fact, this doctor had performed a similar surgery on one of Angel City Pit Bull’s other rescue dogs not one year prior. There were some challenges, however, as there are with any surgery this delicate. One of those obstacles was finding a quiet and loving foster home where Olive’s sensitive medical requirements could be safeguarded. As luck would have it, a foster home was found with an adoring family who lived only a few miles away from the doctor’s office—an ideal scenario to handle the many follow-up visits that the surgical treatment would entail. Olive wasn’t out of the woods yet, but things were absolutely starting to look up.

After Olive’s surgery and during her convalescence, in the company of her devoted foster family, Olive happened to stumble upon some neighbors of theirs, Mary and Roger. Mary and Roger’s dog had passed away recently, and the thought process had just begun with them of adding a new furry member to their family. When they came upon Olive, the connection was immediate. On Olive’s first visit to their home, instead of any nervousness or unease (which is often typical with a new environment) Olive quickly acclimated, as evidenced by how she easily stretched herself out in their picturesque backyard to do a little sunbathing. It wasn’t long before the adoption was made official.

Olive’s village had grown quite a bit, culminating in her finding a forever family with Mary and Roger.

Olive now lives the good life. With her very own plush lounge bed in her backyard, in the beautiful seaside community of San Clemente, California, she spends her days sunbathing and looking out at the ocean, being adored by three generations of her immediate family who dote over her incessantly. Her doctor, just a few miles down the road, watches over the progress from her surgery diligently. Olive goes on walks around town, visits her friends in the neighborhood, and even enjoys trips to the local library. And this past Halloween, Mary and Roger got Olive a costume of her very own!

There is a sage adage that says dogs always live in the moment. One thing that we all, both within her village and beyond, can take great comfort in knowing is this: every single one of those moments for Olive from here on out will be filled with blissful, joyous happiness.

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