Ashley was a lovely dog. The people, who used to own Ashley hardly fed her, rarely took her outside and in the end, they simply abandoned her.
But she was lucky enough to have a good life thanks to Erica Mahnken’s (the cofounder) No More Pain Rescue. Also her fiancé Michael Favor rescued the 1-year-old pit bull in January of 2017.
The rescue got a phone call from somebody that a couple was living in an abandoned house. They had no heat or electricity and they had a dog there.
When a snowstorm hit, the couple left. They guessed that they went to find somewhere warm to stay and they had left the dog behind. As soon as they got the phone call they ran and got her.
Favor made Mahnken stay in the car while he ventured inside to find the dog. He told later Mahnken how bad the situation was. There was no electricity in the house and it was freezing. There was no food, no water for her. The house was a complete disaster. The windows were broken, and there were even feces all over the place.
But thankfully Ashley was unharmed. She looked like the most joyful dog when favor walked her out. She came running down and she was super happy. Even she jumped straight into Mahnsken’s car.
At that time Ashley was thin and malnourished. All they can see were her ribs. She was so skinny and the vet later said that she was 25 pounds underweight. They also noticed that Ashley had cigarette burns on the top of her head.
Since the rescue doesn’t have a physical shelter, Mahnken and Favor needed to get Ashley straight into a foster home. They had friends in the New York City fire department (FDNY). They knew there used to be a dog at the Fort Pitt station. So Mahnken and Favor asked if the firefighters would hold onto Ashley until they found her a proper home. Ashley seemed just fine with this arrangement.
As soon as she walked into the firehouse, her tail started wagging. She was licking and greeting everybody. She was super happy. You would think that she had been a little skittish but she wasn’t at all. Not all that surprisingly, the firefighting team called Mahnken a few days later asking to keep Ashley. They liked to adopt her. They love her so much.
It was the exact place she belonged. Now she lives here full time. she even goes on the firetruck with them. She is getting endless supplies of treats. Mahnken said that they were so glad about their decision. She is happily living there even after four years! She loves the firehouse, and the firefighters too.
