An American Pit Bull Terrier with brown and white coat stands on dry, golden grassy field under clear blue sky. 12:05
Viktor Larkhill channel icon Viktor LarkhillOriginal creator 370K views Save

Betsy the pit bull finally gets to be a dog

When Betsy reached Viktor Larkhill's rescue team, a cruel owner had already forced her into dog fights. Nobody there was sure she would live. more

Betsy is an American Pit Bull Terrier mix, and her body showed what she had been through. She needed eight operations and months of therapy. She was also sick with a disease called leishmaniasis.

Through all of it, she stayed soft. She wanted nothing more than to love and be loved, and she kept opening up to the people around her. A quiet seat beside someone's bare foot was a fine place to start.

A gray dog with white chest fur sits beside a person's bare foot on a dark surface. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Betsy settles in quietly beside a person's bare foot.

Viktor says these animals are magic, and Betsy makes his case. Her kindness kept showing as she healed. Once she recovered, the team decided she was ready for a family.

After one last round of medical tests, a family offered her a home. There were two other dogs in the house, and kids too. From the start, Betsy fit right in.

An American Pit Bull Terrier with brown and white coat stands on dry, golden grassy field under clear blue sky. The headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
When Betsy reached Viktor Larkhill's rescue team, a cruel owner had already forced her into dog fights.

Years later, Viktor asked the family to send him new pictures. The news was all good. Her leishmaniasis has cleared up completely, and the injuries from her old life have left no trace. "Betsy is doing incredibly well," he says.

Her days now belong to a big lawn and the fields around the house. There's a river nearby, and she plays in it with her dog and human siblings. The family even takes her along on holidays. In Viktor's words, she can "run and she can play and she can be a dog."

A gray and white dog sits on grass near a pool with her tongue out, looking at the camera. A headline runs in white letters across the lower third.Save
Healed and adopted, Betsy takes a break on the grass by a pool.

He counts her among the most successful adoptions his team has ever done. For a dog who started out in fights, the best part is how ordinary her days look now. Nobody asks her to fight anymore.

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