UPDATE: Ex-Fighting Dog Who Just Wanted To Snuggle Never Has To Worry Again

Update 2:48 am, 11/12/15

In the video below (via CBS Philly), we see a much happier and healthier Remi leaving the Keystone Veterinary Hospital in Haverton, PA and getting goodbye kisses from the veterinary staff. His next stop? The Justice Rescue sanctuary, where he’ll be surrounded by “acres of green grass” and a whole bunch of love as he continues to recover both physically and emotionally.

[bp_related_article]

Update 3:30 pm, 11/11/15

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for—Remi the Pit Bull is out of the hospital and heading to his temporary home!

It should be noted that the “reward for information leading to the identification of the person(s) responsible” for abusing Remi has been raised to $5,000. Again, if you have any pertinent information, please call 215-942-6363 or email [email protected].

For now, even though Remi’s abuser—a likely dogfighter—has yet to be identified or caught, we can take solace in the fact that Remi himself is healing and well on his way to just being a dog (a loved and well-cared-for dog at that) for perhaps the first time in his entire life. #remistrong

***Original Story***

We’ve written before about dogfighting and how truly abominable it is. We’ve also written about the amazing dogs who have survived it—like the Vicktory Dogs and Pibbling with Theodore—and are now thriving in forever homes. As tragic and stomach-churning as these dogs’ stories often begin, there’s something so powerful about the way in which they’re still able to exhibit love and affection for humans. It’s a level of resiliency and forgiveness that seems completely alien to me.

Recently, a Justice Rescue humane officer named Russ Harper saved the life of a severely abused Pit Bull who’d been left for dead by the side of the road. Harper told Fox29 that there’s “no question” that the 1 1/2-year-old dog, who he named Remi, had been repeatedly used for dogfighting before being discarded.

According to Harper:

He was lying over there in the weeds where someone found him and he was just cold and lifeless. I really thought when I picked him up he was dead. [He had] pretty severe bite injuries and his body was very weak, and on top of that, [he has] a severe infection from all the multiple bite wounds he has gotten.

The video below shows the sweet, sad Pit Bull just curling up into Russ Harper’s lap, being held and comforted for probably the first time in his entire life.

Remi’s not out of the woods quite yet with his infection, though he’s most certainly improved since being rescued. Justice Rescue is offering a $1,000 $5,000 reward to find the person responsible for victimizing Remi. Anyone who has pertinent information can anonymously report it by calling 215-942-6363 or emailing [email protected].