For more than a week, residents of Bartow County in Georgia, called authorities reporting an abandoned and emaciated Pit bull living inside a drainage pipe along the I-75. Animal lovers, police officers and firefighters attempted to rescue the pet numerous times, but their attempts always failed.
On August 12, 2014, after days of coaxing and luring the female dog, named Norton, Friends to the Forlorn Pit Bull rescue group succeeded in rescuing the highway drainage pipe pet.
“A dog in need is a dog in need. Whether it’s our dog, a stray dog, that’s what we do: we save pitbulls,” Jason Flatt from Friends to the Forlon Pit Bull told WSBTV.
The rescue group learned about the dog in need after someone called them for help. Volunteers headed to the location on Friday, August 8, 2014, and set humane traps for the Pit bull, but it wasn’t until Sunday night when rescuers spotted the brown colored dog inside the drainage pipe.
Rescuers tried using a remote control car baited with bacon to get her to come out. Norton ate some of the bacon but didn’t move from her spot. Another dog was brought into the mix to help, but that didn’t work either.
On Tuesday afternoon, five days after the rescue group got involved, Norton was spotted just inside the drain pipe’s entrance – 5 feet below I-75.
Tony Rossi, member of Friends to the Forlon Pit Bull, was lowered head first into the pipe to attempt a rescue. Using food and a bent catch pole, Rossi lured the scared dog to come out. Norton was finally caught and pulled out of the pipe.
“It feels really good,” said Flatt. “I’m proud of my guys.”
Norton was taken to New Hope Animal Hospital were she was examined and given food and water. Since being rescued, the dog moved into a foster home where she has gained weight and has learned to be loved and pampered.
Norton will be ready for adoption soon. If you want to learn more about the Pit bull, visit Friends to the Forlon Pit Bull’s website or follow them on Facebook.
