Rescued Senior Pit Bull Bait Dog That No One Wanted Finally Finds a Home for Christmas

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Jack Sparrow, a sweet-natured, 9-year-old pit bull, was rescued from a Syracuse dog-fighting ring where he was being used as a bait dog. A heartbreaking cruelty case, Jack spent over 700 days at the Central New York SPCA waiting for the perfect forever home.

However the shy, scarred, senior dog was constantly overlooked.

Jack bears visible evidence of his past life as a bait dog. He is missing patches of fur on his back that will never grow back, he is almost completely blind in one eye, and his eyes are clouded over.

One person who can attest to Jack’s adorable temperament, however, is SPCA’s Humane Educator Dee Schaefer. “He came in in January of 2018,” Schaefer explained to CBS 5.

“He’s kind of a special needs guy,” she continued. “His outside is not beautiful, but his inside is.”

Schaefer explained that she was “determined” to find Jack a loving home. “He deserves, in the last years of his life, to understand what a loving home is like,” she said. “He doesn’t deserve to be in the shelter forever.”

CNY Central journalist Farah Jadran was so moved by Jack’s sad story after meeting him in March 2019 that she posted a plea for his adoption on Facebook. “He is a bit shy and scared,” Jadran explained. “Can you blame him?”

“He needs medical care,” the journalist added, “and if you ask me, he deserves a second chance.” Jadran’s post went viral. But sadly, months passed, and still nobody was able to adopt the patient senior dog.

Jadran’s post did, however, capture the attention of a generous benefactor who sponsored Jack’s eventual adoption. They even bought an orthopedic bed to go home with the elderly pup to make his forever home as comfortable as possible. All Jack needed was for a family to come forward.

The SPCA continued their fervent search for a home for Jack on social media. Taking to Facebook on Sept. 12, 2019, they wrote: “Can you imagine spending over 600 days in a kennel, watching people come and go, watching them walk past your kennel and choose someone other than you every single time?

“We need your help,” they added, “someone who will choose him and love him just the way he is.”

While Jack was treated for heartworm and managed to beat the condition, he will need to take maintenance medication for the rest of his life. He also needed to be the only pet in his new, adoptive home. But ultimately, Schaefer told CBS 5, “He just needs love. And he needs someone to understand him.”

On Dec. 14, 2019, the SPCA’s wish came true. A couple visited the shelter having recently lost their own rescued dog; experienced in special-case adoption, the couple immediately bonded with the sweet, shy pit bull.

“They saw Jack’s story and they fell in love,” Schaefer told CNY Central. “Jack was just leaning into the woman’s chest, just getting his ears scratched, and every single one of us knew this was going to be the right home for this dog.”

The couple readily set the wheels in motion for adoption in time for Jack to spend Christmas in his brand-new home.