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Abused Dog "Effie" Ready For Adoption

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A full grown pit bull named Effie weighed just fourteen pounds when she arrived at the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society January 21st.  Director Mary Withrow says the pit bull, rescued from an apartment in Homewood,  looked like a skeleton when she arrived.

"You could see every bone in her body. She had very little fur on her," she said.

The Humane Society acted quickly to save the dog's life.  At a weighing Mar. 7 she was up to twenty pounds.  Now, she's an energetic 37 pounds.  Mary Withrow says the changes are not just physical.

"You know there was a history of deprivation because of the way she looked.  There can be some behaviors in association with that.  There can be some lack of trust in the people that care for her. So she could be a litle wary of people in general.  But she has done very very well," she explained.

Surgery revealed that she had eaten everything she could fit in her mouth, from clothing to orange skins.  She doesn't have to do that any more.

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"She was on six to eight meals a day, because it had to be introduced slowly," Withrow says.

Effie's done so well in the past three months that the affectionate canine is now up for adoption, with major reservations. Effie has very special needs for adoption. It has to be a family with no other pets, and no children.  In other words, Effie needs to be top dog.

As the director of the Humane Society puts it, "She would need to be the queen of the castle."

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