CO: Co. Springs couple helps rescue starving Pit Bull found on their doorstep

Co. Springs couple helps rescue starving Pit Bull found on their doorstep

Posted: Jan 28, 2013 10:36 PM by Zach Thaxton Updated: Jan 30, 2013 4:19 PM

A Colorado Springs couple has named a starving Pit Bull found on their front porch 'Lazarus.' "I've never seen an animal that looks more like a skeleton in my whole life, so if he makes it through, he's definitely a Lazarus," said Lauren Andrus, who along with her husband, Brett, found the severely emaciated dog around noon Saturday.

Andrus says she was leaving her house near South Union Boulevard and Monterey Road when she saw the starving animal in a mulch bed in her front yard. "It was this big head and suddenly, I saw these ribs and I realized that I was looking at this animal that was starved beyond any animal I've ever seen in my life," Andrus said. "It was one of the worst things I've ever seen."

Andrus says she was initially afraid to approach the dog, given the stigma that often surrounds Pit Bulls. "He was just so kind and loving and ready for affection and didn't flinch at all," she said. But it was also in dire condition. It couldn't walk more than a few steps at a time before falling. "It took us about a half hour to get him from the mulch up three steps to the porch so that we could confine him," Andrus said.

Lauren and Brett immediately called the Humane Society of the Pikes Peak Region, which came and retrieved the dog. "Even when the Humane Society officers tried to lead him off, he faceplanted," Lauren said. "It was heartbreaking. They had to carry him to the truck."



Veterinarians at the Humane Society immediately gave the dog fluids, but also feared he may already be suffering organ failure. As of Monday afternoon, he was in stable condition, according to Humane Society spokesperson Gretchen Pressley. The dog had neither a collar nor a chip, so locating its owner will likely prove difficult. "If the owner does step forward, we would question them because of the condition of the dog," Pressley said. There's no way of immediately knowing whether the dog is a runaway or was abandoned.

The Andruses' kindness in ensuring help for the dog is appreciated by the Southern Colorado Pit Bull Advocates, who will be involved in the process of fostering the dog once it's healthy and getting it ready for adoption. "(Lauren and Brett) did the right thing," said group member Vicki Gramm. "Just be compassionate toward animals. It will all come back," she said.

Lauren, a classical pianist and co-owner of The Modbo downtown art studio with husband Brett, says she is not religious, but she chose the name Lazarus for the dog because the Biblical character was raised from the dead. She says she feels like the Pit Bull who somehow ended up on her front porch one random Saturday afternoon was as close to death as possible, and now it's being risen from it.

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