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Abandoned dog finds forever family

Back in January, city employees found Alley abandoned in a pile of debris behind vacant homes. Her face and neck were covered with tar and her back legs were full of chemical burns.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WHAS11) - It's a story nearly a year in the making. A dog abandoned in a Louisville alley in January and left for dead now has a forever home.

When we first introduced you to Alley, appropriately named after the spot city employees found her last winter, she was in bad shape. The Humane Society worked around the clock to nurse her back to health and place her with loving foster parents. It's definitely been a long journey, but Alley is finally home for good with Kayla Prather and her boyfriend. The couple considers her a dose of destiny.


"She was made for us, we feel like,” Prather said.

It’s a newly formed family that almost never was. Back in January, city employees found Alley abandoned in a pile of debris behind vacant homes. Her face and neck were covered with tar and her back legs were full of chemical burns. Her injuries were so severe she likely would've died if she'd been out much longer.

"She's so resilient, and her personality even after what's happened to her is just incredible. She loves people. She's never met a stranger,” Alley’s foster mom Katie Burke said."It's been great. Alley has been so much fun. Our dogs adore her. They've been best friends."

LINK TO ORIGINAL STORY: http://www.whas11.com/life/animals/puppy-trapped-in-debris-for-more-than-a-week-metro-councilwoman-calls-it-a-wakeup-call/389261860


Alley's recovery is one for the record books. In the months since, she's spent her days with her foster family and fur siblings- Lenny and Worm. Her match with her forever family is all thanks to Facebook."I told her if you know of anybody that has a pitty for foster, please let me know. We would love to adopt. She said why don't you adopt my pitbull,” Prather said.

Prather and her boyfriend went to meet Alley, and the rest is history.

"It was like love at first sight. It really was. She came right up to me. She mauled me over with kisses, and we knew from then on that she was our dog."

Alley knows how hard life can be. So does her new family.

"On October 30, we went through a house fire. We lost both of our dogs and both of our cats,” Prather said.

It left a hole they never thought they could fill.

"We really weren't ready for any animals at all. It was going to be a while before we did,” Prather said.

Funny how fate and Facebook work, isn't it?

"Honestly, I feel like we need her more than she needs us,” Prather said.

A bond formed out of tragedy is proving some of life's biggest blessings can come from its toughest times.

"We understand each other. She's been through so much. We've been through so much, and I just feel like we're so thankful to have a dog that understands a place where we're coming from too,” Prather said. "After so many bad things have happened, we're finally looking forward to starting a new family. That's what it's all about."

The Humane Society also surprised Alley's new family with all sorts of gifts. From waiving the adoption fee to plenty of dog food and toys to keep her busy, it's safe to say the pup and her parents will be very happy this holiday season.

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