When BARCS Animal Shelter in Baltimore, Maryland, rescued a Pit Bull named Butter Bee, thinking she was on the brink of death. Someone saw her get hit by a car, and she could barely move afterward. The kind witness carried her to their car and called the shelter for help. When vets examined her, they feared that they wouldn’t be able to improve her quality of life.
But this horrific accident wasn’t the beginning of Butter Bee’s hardships. Her microchip later led to some shocking information: the pup’s owner had died, and she had been lost for two years following his death. But she still had some family that was willing to help her.
Butter Bee had severe injuries, including multiple fractures around her jaw. Vets took the situation day by day to see how the pup recovered. There were some days where they thought it would be the end for her, but then she’d greet them with kisses and a wagging tail. She continuously showed them that she was ready to keep fighting.
The shelter scanned the injured pup’s microchip and found that it was registered in their system. It said her name was Lydia, and that she had been adopted from BARCS in 2014. When they contacted the number on the microchip, they reached Virginia, who is the mother of Lydia’s human named Jonathan. Lydia was the pup’s name at the shelter, but Jonathan had renamed her Elyria.
“In 2018, [Virginia’s] Johnathan tragically passed away. Johnathan was a big dog lover and owned three dogs, including a sweet girl named [Elyria], who he adopted from BARCS in 2014. Virginia lovingly opened up her home to her son’s pups, and they helped to ease her grief,” BARCS wrote on Facebook.
Only a few months after Jonathan’s death, Elyria disappeared. Virginia let her out in the yard with the other two dogs, but the sweet Pit Bull never came back. For two years, Virginia continuously looked for the lost dog. Not only were Jonathan’s dogs family to her, but they were also a special memory of her son.
Making Her Late Human Proud
Virginia could not believe it when she heard that Elyria was found. Yet, she was devastated to hear about the tragic state that the pup was in. She wanted to bring the dog home more than anything, but she couldn’t afford Elyria’s extensive medical expenses.
Luckily, many animal lovers stepped up to help pay for Elyria’s medical care. She went into emergency surgery to reconstruct part of her face and jaw. The surgery was a success! Instead of going into foster care like most recovering dogs, Elyria is fortunate enough to head back home with her family members.
“Thank you to everyone who donated and shared this story. [Elyria] is now safe at home with Virginia, her other son, and doggy sister Scarlett, who has also been sadly missing her best friend all of these years,” BARCS wrote. “It is because of your generous support that we were able to save [Elyria] so that she could be the best, unexpected gift to her family this holiday season.”
But Elyria’s story is only the beginning. Over 72 animals came into the shelter in only 30 days, so many other pets need emergency care. Please consider donating to BARCS to help more dogs like Elyria get their happy ending.
