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Penni Went From A Life Of Abuse & Fear To Adventure & Love

Sugar Cookie

Sugar Cookie

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A dog who was left to rot in a Bronx basement has made an incredible recovery and now spends her days abseiling, rock climbing and zip-lining across the US.

Pitbull mix breed Penni suffered two years of neglect and abuse at the hands of her previous owners in New York, leaving her afraid to even go out for a walk during the day because of the noise.

She was taken in by a local animal shelter who regrettably had to place her on a list of animals to be put down due to drastic over-population.

Thankfully, a charity stepped in to find her a new owner - adrenaline junkie Blaine DeLuca, who slowly coaxed Penni out of her shell.

After discovering the troubled dog was most relaxed on walks in secluded woods, they left the hustle and bustle of their life in New Jersey for the open air of Nevada and now spend their days taking in the great outdoors.

Though five-year-old Penni may now spend her days traversing, hiking and climbing around some of Nevada's most spectacular mountain ranges, life hasn't always been plain sailing for the adorable dog.

Left to rot in a basement, the pitbull-mix suffered vile abuse and neglect for the first two years of her life, before being cast onto the streets of the Bronx, New York.

Spotted by a police officer after a number of days out fending for herself, Penni was rescued and taken to a local animal shelter where she appeared destined for euthanasia.

But Fur Friends in Need intervened just in time, placing her in the care of first-time-owner Blaine DeLuca.

Now, three years on, Penni's previous life of shackles and neglect seems a far-cry from the reality she now leads with Blaine, whether it be zip-lining through Red Rock Canyons of Nevada or trekking the mountain ranges of Utah.

Blaine, 29, said: 'Penni has changed my life, everywhere she goes she steals the show.

'She is such a loving and affectionate dog, it's hard to believe that anyone would ever want to hurt her.

'She was terrified by everything when I first got her, I often had to wait till really late at night to walk her, because the noise from the busy city streets of New Jersey would physically leave her shaking in fear.

'Penni was so untrusting, she simply didn't want to interact with the world.

'Every day was a real challenge, but gradually we got her over her fears.

'I started taking her on small nature trails during daylight hours to try and help her relax, she immediately responded.

'She was an entirely different dog in the solitude of the forest, that's when I realised her taste for adventure.

'We then moved to Las Vegas, and knowing the success I had with taking her on small hikes in the past, I was not about to leave her out on these new adventures around Nevada.

'The hikes were not as nearly intense in the beginning, but as her passion became more and more evident, my confidence in her grew.

'Before long I had no reservations in taking her anywhere, there's no terrain she can't handle.'

Embarking on adventures around Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona, the travelled pooch is now well-traversed in long-distance hiking, abseiling, canyoneering, cliff-side scrambles and zip-lining.

Blaine said: 'Anyone that has trekked with Penni will agree that she is happiest when she is outside.

'Whether it's on top of a mountain on walking on the sidewalk, her demeanor reaches a new peak when adventures are abreast.

'One highlight of our adventures together was when we hiked Havasu Falls in Nevada.

'We covered 40 miles over three days and saw everything the area had to offer, together.

'I would love to take Penni to some of the National Parks, but unfortunately that is currently not allowed.
Click to expand...
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5103829/Pitbull-spends-days-abseiling-rock-climbing.html
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Before Picture At Link
 
Can some kind soul post a pic of the before pic of this dog? That damn site will never load the story or photos, just hangs there like a fucking dingleberry every fucking time. Thanks in advance.
 
I am SUCH a sucker for these rescue and 2nd chance stories. Penni's smile enjoying her new life is so, so sweet.

I really would love to adopt a full grown rescue dog when I get another one, but I'm so afraid to bring a dog with completely unknown history and behavior into a home that currently has 2 cats. I'd never forgive myself if they were hurt or killed.

I feel like if I start with a puppy, they can grow up with the cats and get acclimated to them as family, rather than prey.

Anyone here have any experience with this?

My only rescue dog (who was AMAZING) was brought in at 6 months old, and I just had another dog at that time. They had a afternoon or so of establishing ranks and bickering, and then were golden for a decade + together. That's different than trying to introduce different species to each other, though.
 
If you got a relatively small dog, it would probably be okay with your cats. A larger "sight" dog might not be as they're set off by things that move fast. Even my large dogs got acclimated to our cats fairly quickly.
 
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