It was late in the evening, and most people were winding down, finishing up their final chores before calling it a night.
Carla Stowe was preparing for a peaceful evening at home. But sometimes, the quietest nights can take the most unexpected turns.
That evening had something entirely different planned.
As Carla began securing her home, she noticed her dogs acting strangely. They were agitated, ignoring her commands, and persistently trying to pull her toward the backyard. It felt as though they were urgently trying to communicate something.
Unable to dismiss their behavior any longer, Carla opened the door and allowed them to lead her outside.
What she discovered left her in disbelief. There, concealed in the darkness of her yard, was something completely out of place.
A Crate That Shouldn’t Have Been There
As Carla swept her flashlight across the yard, she immediately sensed something was off.
A yellow crate sat in the grass, one she didn’t recognize. She hadn’t placed it there. It didn’t belong to her. That could only mean someone else had left it behind.
As president of Baby Gunn’s Animal Rescue, Carla had encountered her share of distressing situations. But as she cautiously approached the crate, a sinking feeling settled in her chest. This night felt different.
From inside the box came muffled sounds and a steady thumping. She couldn’t yet see what was inside, but the noises were unmistakable. Then, her flashlight caught a glimpse of two sorrowful eyes staring back at her through the slits in the duct tape that sealed the crate shut.
It was a dog.
“His head was down, but I could hear the constant thumping of his tail,” Stowe recalled.
Without hesitation, Carla began cutting through the layers of duct tape and zip ties that held the crate shut. As soon as it opened, a dog stepped out.
“When I realized it was a Pitbull, my heart sank,” Stowe said.
What stunned Carla wasn’t just the fact that someone had abandoned a dog in her yard. It was the inhumane way they had done it, trapping him in a crate, sealed so tightly he had no chance of escape.
What kind of person could do something so cruel to a defenseless animal?
The only fortunate part of this heartbreaking situation was that the dog had been left at Carla’s home. Had he been abandoned in a deserted area or in the yard of someone who disliked animals, the outcome could have been far worse.
The dog, a beautiful black-and-white Pitbull, was named RD. Carla immediately brought him to Baby Gunn’s Animal Rescue in Paris, Texas.
At the shelter, RD began to slowly settle in. Day by day, he became more at ease with the staff and the other animals around him.
Carla is confident that, when the time is right, Baby Gunn’s will find a home for RD, one where he will be accepted and loved for who he is.
According to recent data from WAF, Pitbulls remain one of the most vulnerable dog breeds. PETA has even reported that they are the most mistreated dogs globally. WAF also notes that one in four Americans admits to having a negative view of Pitbulls.
It’s a sobering truth.
But with each rescue, there is hope. And perhaps, one day, stories like RD’s will no longer be necessary.