Ella Enchanted will hopefully start her “slow kill” heart worm treatment very soon. It will be a long road to recovery for Ella, but she is doing very well and is fast becoming more comfortable with people and will hopefully be up for adoption in the near future. For information about adopting from Lake Charles Pit Bull Rescue, click here.

The Tortorella family regularly sponsors vetting and more for dogs and cats in need of medical care, safe crates, toys, blankets and more. The month of September was no different.

The Tortorellas, via the foundation, could not their backs on Dominique, an emaciated dog who was abused and was saved from a Harnett County Animal Shelter in North Carolina by Lake Charles Pit Bull Rescue. Because of the abuse, the Tortorellas were asked to rename her so she does not associate her name with her past. The name they chose, picked by a 3-year-old great niece, was Ella Enchanted, after a character in a movie who was “cursed” with forced obedience. It seemed a fitting name.

These photos were taken of Ella Enchanted (formerly Dominique) at the shelter and upon first rescue from the shelter in Harnett County, NC.

Ella Enchanted (1-year-old female pit bull) had whip worms, hook worms, heart worm and was terrified of people. Just a few weeks later, her whip worms are gone, the hook worms are gone and she’s gaining weight nicely! She received her first set of vaccines and will hopefully start her slow-kill heart worm treatment very soon. Ella Enchanted’s road to recovery will not be easy. She will need time, time and more time for the heart worm treatment and lots of TLC from her foster. With the help of the Tortorella Foundation, Lake Charles Pit Bull Rescue in Virginia can move forward to take care of Ella Enchanted and her foster brothers and sisters!

“Knowing Ella’s vetting would be taken care of was a huge relief,” said Destiny Shell, director of the Lake Charles Pit Bull Rescue in Hampton, Virginia (the woman who rescued Ella). “My expenses had just been seriously reduced. It was completely overwhelming to me that someone was willing to be so generous and without a second thought about it. We were so moved by this gesture that we wanted to do something that really showed how grateful we were and how much their kindness was noticed… so Ella Enchanted came to be, as we needed another name for the scared little black dog that had been through so much she didn’t want human touch and cowered if you walked too close by her.”

Ella Enchanted (formerly Dominique) is already gaining weight and making strides in her recovery. So far she is very loving and is warming up to people!

The veterinarian who is handling Ella Enchanted’s care said she will actually look to get attention now when he and his staff walk in to the room.

“Seeing the pictures and getting the updates of Ella after just a few short weeks has just been awesome,” Shell said. “She loves attention is loose and wiggly and happy, is almost at a healthy weight after being treated for hookworms and whip worms and will be able to start her heartworm treatment very soon as well as be spayed. The Tortarella Foundation donation has been an amazing factor in her development and there is much comfort in knowing Ella’s extensive medical costs are completely taken care of.”

Ella Enchanted is not the first dog the Tortorella family has sponsored vetting for, and she certainly won’t be the last. Follow the Tortorella Foundation on facebook at www.facebook.com/tortorellafoundation to see her updates and for opportunities to help other dogs like Ella Enchanted. In the future, the foundation would like to help even more dogs.