On October 14, 2019, Chicago police rescued Frank with five other dogs from “absolutely horrible conditions” while investigating an unrelated matter involving a man with a gun.
Frank was found with two female pit bull mixes and three pit bull mix puppies. He was found at the bottom of a stairwell, laying on cement, unable to move, emaciated and weak. The mother of his three puppies was found locked in the closet and starving; the puppies were found covered in feces and urine in a closed plastic bin in one of the rooms.
The officers notified Garrido Stray Rescue Foundation for help and transported them immediately to Niles Animal Hospital for veterinary care. Frank was the weakest. Dr. Staunton said “Frank is the worst case I have seen in years.” Frank maybe had a day left to live, maybe. He was named Francis, after St. Francis, Frank for short.
After initial treatment, the doctor released the two females and puppies and they were transported to the Chicago Animal Care and Control, but Frank was too sick to travel and stayed behind; he could not be transported. His temperature was 10 degrees lower than normal and he was very anemic. He was covered in fleas and had a terrible skin condition. He had two cigarette burns on his paws. He was also infested with worms and the doctors were afraid that they would cause blockage in his intestines due to the amount of them in his system and his inability to pass them. Frank showed no interest in food or water. He just wanted to curl up in his little cage filled with blankets and lay there. It was heartbreaking
The doctors took x-rays, performed an ultrasound and drew lots of blood for testing. He had good days and bad days, but the darkest day came unexpected. On October 18, 2019, his blood levels dropped and he needed a blood transfusion. He was dying once again...Thankfully, Annie, a GSRF alumnus, turned out to be a matching blood donor and she donated her blood to save his life; a whole pint of it! The clock was ticking. Will he make it? Will he survive? His caretakers, the doctors, and his supporters did not sleep for days worrying about him. It seemed that the emotional roller coaster was not ending anytime soon, filled with tears of joy and sadness depending on the day.
Frank weighted 30.9 lbs. when he was found. The doctor said his optimal weight should be about 60 lbs.
Today, he is 58 lbs. He developed heart murmur, grade 2, but hopefully it will go away as his health improves. Thanks to Dr. Sakas and his wonderful team at Niles Animal Hospital, Frank’s life was saved.
Thankfully one of the people who did this to Frank was placed under arrest. We support Safe Humane Chicago and get volunteers to attend each court date to stand for justice for Frank and his family.
You can read more about that story hear:
We are grateful to all who prayed for him, all who donated to his care, all who loved him unconditionally and never gave up on him; and all who worked tirelessly to make him better.
Today Frank is living a happy healthy life in a loving him with his two sisters. Frank is now living the life he deserves and will never know abuse again for as long as he lives. That is our promise to him and all of our rescues.
Update: On March 23, 2021, his abuser received a 2 year Tasc probation. She needs to report to probation and pay probation fees, complete alcohol and drug treatment, is subject to a random drug testing, complete 30 hours of community service, register on the animal abuse registry, and have no contact with any animals for the rest of her life. During the duration of this case, she already served 512 days on home monitoring.
