EDGEWATER — In his short life, Huckleberry already has seen more than his fair share of struggles.
Now, after a rocky start to puppyhood, the peanut butter-loving, snuggly hound is getting a new lease on life.
The pit bull mix, believed to be between 4 and 5 months old, was found abandoned on the South Side in late May with puncture wounds, cuts and two serious fractures to his front two legs, said Julia Ambrozek, Huck's foster mom.
Huck shows off his left leg cast, where his humerus is fractured and may require amputation. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
He was dropped off as a stray with Chicago Animal Care and Control, where after recognizing the severity of Huck's injuries, an attending vet tech immediately sent photos and videos to former volunteer Sarah Lauch.
Within an hour, those pictures and video had reached Heather Owen, the co-founder and executive director of rescue group One Tail At A Time, who was "convinced right away to go down" and bail him out of the shelter.
His rescue and medical care was sponsored by the Bryan and Amanda Bickell Foundation by way of One Tail At A Time, founded by Chicago Blackhawks player Bryan Bickell and his wife — both active advocates for pit bull rescues in the city.
The resources they provide to shelters citywide help facilitate the rescue and often-expensive medical care pit-like dogs require to be adoptable.
According to city data, in 2014, of the 10,824 dogs that were impounded at Chicago Animal Care and Control, 36 percent (or 3,668 dogs) were euthanized.
Huck enjoys a warm spring day. [DNAinfo/Kyla Gardner]
Lauch said dogs have a 5-day period after which they become eligible for euthanization for various reasons, including space, aggression, and illness.
Because Huck was a stray dog with severe injuries that would require numerous surgeries, she said she and others felt his potential to be put down was high.
"When you walk into [the city pound] many of the dogs you see in need of rescue or adoption are pit bulls, or pit bull mixes," Owen said. "So many of them make wonderful pets, so the fact they are being overlooked, and often euthanized, is very upsetting."
After getting casts on both his front legs, the right with an elbow fracture and the left with a serious fracture of his humerus, Huck lay caged, in wait at Higgins Animal Hospital in Lakeview.
Immobile, medicated and confused, Huck seemed like he could no longer wait for a foster family — so Ambrozek, who works at Higgins, volunteered herself.
From there, it didn't take long for Ambrozek and those around her to fall in love with his resilient soul and innocent pair of gray, doey eyes looking up at her.
Julia Ambrozek and Huck snuggle as he goes through his teething stage. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Now, his pain has mostly subsided in his right leg and Huck is down from four medications a day to two, Ambrozek said.
"He's completely turned around, the neighbors love him, everyone wants to see him," she said. "He has an army behind him."
Huck still faces another surgery on his left leg, however, which is currently supported by a splint. Ambrozek got the news from Owen Thursday that if his surgery Friday isn't successful, Huck's left leg will have to be amputated.
While initially shocked, Ambrozek quickly brushed off the notion the potentially three-legged pup would live any less of an active and healthy life.
"It sounds brutal, but puppies can compensate for it very well and recover quicker than adults," she said as Huck skipped along his front courtyard. "It's pretty non-functioning as it is."
Huck hobbles along in his front courtyard before getting tired and going for a roll-around in the grass. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
While Owen said she'd "prefer not to make a guess" on Huck's past, Ambrozek described the puncture wounds she saw on his legs as "bite marks." She said the pup has shown no aggression toward other animals.
Ambrozek said she hopes Huck's forever family shows him patience and love as he recovers. She expects he'll live an active lifestyle once he's back on all fours — or all threes.
She said she still has to carry him down three flights of stairs every day from her apartment on Ridge Avenue in Edgewater, and though he does get tired after hobbling around after a while, the joy on his face as he frolics in the grass is worth any hassle.
Ambrozek said when it comes to the idea she'd want to adopt Huck — known as a "foster fail" — "it's been a conversation" she's had with her sister, whom she lives with.
For now, she said she plans to make Huck's life as comfortable as possible as he continues on his path of surgery and recovery.
"To see him from square one, you know, get healthy, get physical therapy and get adopted, that's what it's about," she said.
Huck's foster mom says she's thought about adopting him, but plans to make his recovery as quick and comfortable as possible regardless of who he ultimately goes home with. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
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