Last week, a brown and white pit bull was found abandoned outside a woman’s house in Orlando, Florida. The pit bull was muzzled and tied to a tree by his leash. He was left with a scrawled note on the ground.
“I am leaving to California to be with my mother and brother during this pandemic. Please take care of Lincoln or find him a good home. I trust you with my baby. I’m sorry.”
The woman realized Lincoln belonged to her neighbor. She took him inside her home and immediately called The Pittie Party of Central Florida (TPPCF) for help.
Mayson Jones, a volunteer of TPPCF, came to bring Lincoln to the center. However, the abandoned dog seemed to miss his family and didn’t want to leave. “He seemed a bit confused and was looking all around the yard for awhile,” Jones told The Dodo. “But [he] eventually settled down and played fetch with me and seemed happy.”
Lincoln is now living in a foster family, where he is cared and loved by his foster parents. Once he has been cleared for adoption, he’ll be looking for someone who’s willing to give him a forever home that he deserves.
“He’s a big hippo,” Jones said. “Just an overall super sweet and mellow guy. He loves balls and any sort of toy he can chew up,” Jones said. “He’s very affectionate. Loves people — men, women, kids — and is not standoffish at all.”
Lincoln’s story is not unique because there are so many abandoned dogs in Florida. The coronavirus pandemic leads to crowded shelters, so many shelters and rescues don’t have enough of fosters and volunteers.
“We are in crisis mode with the amount of people who have abandoned their dogs because of unemployment and the uncertainty of what is around the corner,” TPPCF wrote on Facebook. “Shelters are being forced to euthanize dogs at a devastating rate. Individuals are abandoning their dogs on the streets after many shelters are denying intakes.”
The Pittie Party of Central Florida particularly welcomes enquiries from people interested in adopting animals. Please contact TPPCF if you want to adopt Lincoln or other pets.