Casey Alves and her husband had just adopted a senior cat from the Coastal Humane Society and weren’t even thinking about adopting any dogs when they got a message that changed everything for them. The Facebook message from a family friend who’s a foster for a local shelter told Casey of two pit bull sisters. The pups were five-months-old and rescued from a high-kill shelter and it was preferred they stay together.
Casey was hesitant to say the least. She wasn’t sure if the puppies would get along with their cat, Louise, and was worried about the cost of taking care of two more animals. But when she learned of their severe demodectic mange, she felt she had to help.
So they decided to foster Ria and Ella. Casey’s husband, an army vet, had served overseas for a year and had always wanted a dog. And dogs can be really good for vets trying to deal with PTSD.
They picked the dogs up, and they were in pretty rough shape. They had almost no hair and were very small. It was clear they needed some serious help.
And Casey could definitely see why the rescue group didn’t want to separate the two sisters. Ria and Ella were extremely bonded. They even cuddled together in the back of the SUV on the way home.
And while exploring their new home, they stayed right by each other’s side.
It was obvious the dogs were just thankful to be in a home as they’d cuddle on the couch or right on top of Casey’s husband! Ria and Ella were definitely lap dogs. 🙂
It would take several weeks for them to recover from the mange, and the two pits comforted each other throughout the process as they healed.
“The mange was bad, and it was uncomfortable for them,” Casey told The Dodo. “But they were constantly cleaning each other… and it was really, really sweet. I had never had sister pups before or dogs at all, so I never realized a bond could be as close as this.”
Ria and Ella had pretty much fully recovered after six weeks, and their fur had grown back revealing their true looks.
Casey took to Pittie Nation to share the story of the dogs’ remarkable transformations where she received praise for taking them in.
The bonded sisters kept their love for each other through it all! Anytime Casey goes looking for them throughout the house, she finds them together with the one’s head on the other’s torso or vice versa. 🙂
Not only do Ria and Ella love each other, but they’ve taken to the cat! But Louise isn’t quite as fond of the dogs. The cat will tolerate and sit with them for a moment but hisses and walks away if they try to clean her or sniff her.
At the end of the fostering period, Casey and her husband had a decision to make — and they decided to keep the pit bull sisters!
“They are our family now,” she said. “I can’t imagine our lives without them at all.”