LAKE ODESSA, Mich. — Tatiana, a pit bull mix rescued from horrific abuse, has finally found a new home after spending a decade in animal shelters.
The now-senior dog was taken in by the Capital Area Humane Society in January 2011.
In a post, CAHS explained Tatiana was found "hog-tied, and muzzle-bound, with electric tape ... on a cold Michigan day."
"[She was] – somehow still alive – nearly frozen to the ground. Tatiana’s body heat had melted the snow beneath, and given the extreme cold weather, the ground had started to refreeze; nearly locking her body to the ground."
After being taken in and nursed back to health, Tatiana was transferred to Mackenzie's Animal Sanctuary in Lake Odessa in 2012.
"It took a long while for her trust, and it still does," explained Autumn Russell-Huber, the general manager at Mackenzie's. "It just takes a special person for a special dog like Tatiana."
After nearly nine years of waiting, Tatiana finally found that special person in Mackenzie's volunteer Michelle Spillman. Spillman said she started out fostering Tatiana and fell in love with her.
She has now taken in Tatiana full-time.
"She spent like one night, which turned into like every week. I wanted to take her for a night," she told FOX 17. "It just got harder to bring her back, and I just kind of felt like she belongs here ... I feel like we totally hit the jackpot with her."
It's bittersweet for the staff at Mackenzie's to say goodbye after all the time they spent with Tatiana, but they are also excited for her next chapter.
"It's hard, but it's beautiful, so it makes it all worth it. We're doing our job, and she's where she's at because all of us held together and kept the faith in her," said Russell-Huber. "It's amazing. It brings light to, you know, coming together and giving this dog truly a second chance."
Tatiana's story was picked up by People.com.
To learn more about Mackenzie's and the other dogs that are still available to adopt, click here.
