TAMPA—A Florida animal shelter sent out a desperate plea after someone had abandoned two pit bull dogs. But volunteers never expected the post would catch the attention of “Guardians of the Galaxy” actor Dave Bautista.
The 6-year-old pit bulls, Maggie and Ollie, were handed over to the county after their owner had a baby.
Volunteers from Rescue Me Tampa wrote a post seeking someone who would take both dogs, writing they’d been together their whole life.
“Please consider these 2 together,” Rescue Me Tampa wrote.
“Although not kennelled together or listed as bonded they have lived together since they were pups so that in our opinion is BONDED!!” they added.
That was last month. A week later, the group posted a picture of the star hugging the two pups and announcing he had adopted them.
The rescuers said Bautista is spoiling the rescue dogs with Tempur-Pedic dog beds, a large gated property and doggy doors everywhere.
“They’ll never be separated. They’ll always be loved and cared for,” the actor said.
‘Most Abused Dogs on Earth’
Animal rights group PETA has said that pit bulls are “the most abused dogs on Earth.”
“Pit bulls are left at shelters in record numbers—and since they are difficult to adopt out, reputable shelters (that don’t slam the door in the dogs’ faces) are finding that they must euthanize more pit bulls and pit bull mixes than all other dogs combined,” the group said.
Karen Delise, research director for the National Canine Research Council and author of “The Pitbull Placebo,” has investigated hundreds of dog bite incidents.
She wrote in a now-taken down article: “My study of dog bite-related fatalities occurring over the past five decades has identified the poor ownership/management practices involved in the overwhelming majority of these incidents: owners obtaining dogs, and maintaining them as resident dogs outside of regular, positive human interaction, often for negative functions (i.e. guarding/protection, fighting, intimidation/status).”
Also contributing negative functions include “owners failing to humanely contain, control, and maintain their dogs (chained dogs, loose roaming dogs, cases of abuse/neglect); owners failing to knowledgably supervise interaction between children and dogs; and owners failing to spay or neuter dogs not used for competition, show, or in a responsible breeding program,” she added.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
