Rescued Brooklyn pit bull mix living her best life with lots of love, food and toys after years of starvation and squalor
It’s all upside from now on for Molly, a 4-year-old American pit bull mix who over the past year has gone from a life of squalor and neglect to lapping up Starbucks Puppuccinos served by her adoring new owner.
“There was this love within her and this wanting to be loved — that was quite obvious,” said Molly’s doggy dad, who asked to be identified as Jared K. because he worries Molly’s original owner might seek him out.
Molly — whose breeding could also be identified as partly American bully — had a hard time adjusting to her new good life. “It took several months,” Jared said.
Finally, he said, Molly came to understand “it’s safe to be here, and she’s going to be fed and she doesn’t have to worry about anything.”
Molly was one of 28 underweight pups found on April 6, 2022, living in what cops called “deplorable” conditions, packed into filthy cages at Jason Nunez’s Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, home. One of the neglected pups died, cops said.
Upon her rescue, Molly was dehydrated and suffered ear infections, inflamed paws, a skin infection, dental disease and bone and joint abnormalities, said Kris Lindsay, vice president of the ASPCA Animal Recovery Center.
The rundown pooch needed four months of medical and behavioral treatment to recover. She was cycled in and out of multiple foster homes.
Last fall, Jared stopped short when he saw Molly’s lovable mug on the ASPCA’s site. It was an instant connection, and after fostering Molly for several months, Jared officially adopted her in December.
“The rewarding part of it is watching her personality come out over these last six months or so. It’s hysterical,” he added.
He describes his new companion as a “total love bug” and “couch hog” whose favorite activities include sleeping, bird-watching, modeling for her Instagram page and charming locals at neighborhood coffee shops.
Jared sometimes treats Molly to a Puppuccino — whipped cream in an espresso cup— from Starbucks.
She enjoys a big supply of doggy toys — and when she needs a break from big city life, Molly appreciates the occasional beach weekend at her doggy grandparents’ Long Island home.
“You can see it in her face. It’s this look of like, ‘So when does this end?’ ” Jared said. “But she’s getting more and more comfortable with the idea that she’s not changing homes again. She’s home.”
For her fifth birthday on May 11, Jared said, he plans to let Molly celebrate with a safe ration of steak.
Despite largely recovering from the neglect she endured, Molly suffers from pancreatitis, which requires lifelong treatment with special enzyme pills.
Meanwhile, Nunez, 28, faces misdemeanor animal neglect and abandonment charges in Brooklyn Criminal Court. He could be sentenced to a year behind bars, said a spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney’s office.
“I have no idea why he ended up in that situation doing what he did,” Jared said of Nunez. “These dogs didn’t deserve it for a second. I hope these dogs end up in a better place, and I hope he does, too.”
