Mother and daughter adopt former bait dog in a story that is almost too good to be true

Found on a street in Church Hill in Richmond, VA, black-and-white pit bull Penelope was near death when she was rescued. She had been beaten and suffered from hypothermia. It was December 12, 2017, shortly before Christmas, but her road to recovery had just begun.
Rescuers believed she was an abandoned bait dog. A bait dog is one used to increase the bloodlust in more aggressive dogs for dog fights. Bait dogs are usually sweet-tempered and may be stolen pets. They suffer horrible fates. If they survive long enough, they are tossed aside like garbage on the street once their usefulness ends. Penelope was less than four years old, but her life had already nearly come to an end.
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Penelope's facial injuries were so severe that the vet techs at VVC (Virginia Veterinary Center) thought she might end up blind.
Fortunately, once the swelling went down and a sinus infection was dealt with, they were able to save her eyes.
Penelope's care and that of the other animals at the Richmond Animal Care and Control (RACC) totaled $115 thousand dollars for 2017. For the first time in the (RACC)'s history, donors covered all the costs.
Enter Kelli and Addyson Rice. Mother and daughter had just lost their dog after 16 years when they saw Penelope's story being advertised on the RACC Facebook page. They decided to adopt her. She became the RACC's last adoption for 2017, and is now happy and recovering in her furever home.​
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