Pit bull lover searches on Craigslist for rescue dog's former owners

Cathy, a 15-year-old pit bull, soaks in some rays at her New Hampshire home. Three years ago, the rescue dog from New York’s Lower East Side was emaciated, overbred, burned and suffering from multiple infections.

After a lifetime of neglect, an underdog from New York is finally enjoying her moment in the sun.

Cathy the pit bull was a ragged mess when she landed in Manhattan’s Animal Care and Control on Feb. 9, 2011. The New Hampshire dog lover who plucked the 12-year-old dog out of her misery recently turned to Craigslist to show her previous owners exactly what they’re missing.

Alex De Campi

Cathy has become buddies with De Campi’s 3-year-old daughter.

“Your dog is an awesome dog,” Alex De Campi, from Durham, N.H., wrote on Craigslist. “We love her so much. The past three years we've had with her have brought us (and her) so much happiness.”

“P.S. you can’t have her back,” De Campi added.

PHOTOS: NYPD DOG RESCUE / HOWARD SIMMONS

Alex De Campi

The dog was bred numerous times and had even undergone a Caesarean section.

De Campi is hoping that the Craigslist post will help her learn more about Cathy’s past. The dog’s previous owners were apparently evicted from an apartment on 20 Catherine Street in the Lower East Side. Cathy was emaciated by the time she reached the shelter, weighing just 51 pounds. The dog had skin, eye, and ear infections. There were burns on her head and ears, which De Campi thinks were caused by a cigarette. Looking at her enlarged belly, ACC volunteers said the dog had most likely been bred many times. The scars on her stomach suggested that she’d had a Caesarean section.

Still, De Campi says she fell in love with Cathy’s “lopsided” face. Even though she had three other dogs and a 6-week-old baby, the animal lover decided to make room for Cathy in her life. The non-profit Rebound Hounds made it happen.

Alex De Campi

Even though she’s an old girl, Cathy loves playing fetch.

Three years later, De Campi has no regrets. Not only has Cathy’s health improved, but she’s also letting others see her personality.

“She’s very friendly and sweet,” De Campi told the Daily News. “She’s gotten on really good with the dogs, she’s grown up with my daughter, she’s fine with any stranger.”

Alex De Campi

Cathy, a pit bull, was adopted in 2011 through the organization Rebound Hounds.

Even though she’s 15 years old now, Cathy still loves playing fetch and going for swims in a nearby bay.

But one of Cathy’s favorite things to do is bathe in a little bit of sunshine.

Alex De Campi

De Campi was surprised after Cathy took like a duck to water when the pair visited a New Hampshire bay.

“She’ll find the only sunbeam in the room, or the hottest part of the pavement,” De Campi said.

De Campi believes that people get a bad impression about pit bulls because a few owners mistreat their dogs — by chaining them, neglecting to neuter them or depriving them of human contact.

“It doesn’t make sense to say an entire dog breed is innately evil,” De Campi said. “You should have tougher laws for dog owners.”

Cathy (left) takes a walk with blind foster dog Duke and Alex De Campi’s 3-year-old daughter. Duke is currently available for adoption through Red Hook Dog Rescue.

Ever since the Craigslist post, De Campi says she’s been hearing from pit bull owners who are rooting for Cathy. But she hasn’t heard from the dog’s previous owners.

De Campi, who volunteers for Red Hook Dog Rescue, says she bears no ill will towards the owners and wouldn’t mind meeting them. All she knows is that they were evicted, which means they were going through a hard time.

“New York is a hard place when you’re down on your luck,” De Campi said. “I just wanted them to know that their dog was okay and is having a great life. And I hope that person is back on their feet, too.”

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