Gabriel, a pit bull who suffered severe burns, adopted by Cape Coral woman
Brittany Carloni
Gabriel sprints across the grassy back yard in the video posted to Facebook. A smile appears on his face as he shoots across the lawn.
The pit bull mix comes to a stop in front of the camera. His tail wags. His caramel-colored ears perk up.
In an instant, Gabriel’s running again, bounding to another corner of the grass.
The world is full of uncertainty outside the fenced yard. Only one thing matters for Gabriel right now. The dog has found his home.
Previous coverage:Gabriel the pit bull suffered severe burns and broken bones. A Bonita Springs vet and a dog rescue are giving him a second chance.
'He's a miracle dog':Gabriel the pit bull, who suffered severe burns in August, recovering at foster home in Fort Myers
Ellen Kulesa of Cape Coral adopted Gabriel in March. It’s a happy ending for the dog, who arrived in Southwest Florida more than seven months ago with severe burns covering about half of his body.
Today, his skin is nearly healed. He loves going on walks and playing in his new back yard.
“I hit the jackpot,” Kulesa said of her new pup. “I don’t know how I got so lucky to have him in my life.”
Gabriel’s story
In August, Gabriel was rescued by Love Is Fur Ever Dog Rescue and brought across the state from Miami-Dade County.
He was surrendered in Miami-Dade, according to Victoria Frazier, the founder of Love Is Fur Ever. He suffered severe burns and broken bones.
Gabriel has been cared for by Advanced Veterinary staff in Bonita Springs and volunteers at Love Is Fur Ever for the past seven months.
His foster mom, Samantha Kellum, cared for him at her home in Fort Myers from September to March. Kellum saw his initial condition in August and his healing since then.
“It’s utterly amazing,” Kellum said. “A human, if they had that happen to them, I don’t know they would survive.”
Kellum, Gabriel's foster mom, is friends with Kulesa, Gabriel's new mom. Kulesa met Gabriel shortly after Kellum brought the dog home from the Advanced Veterinary clinic.
Kulesa would feed Gabriel and take him to appointments at Advanced Veterinary when Kellum had to work.
“From the day I met him, I fell in love with him,” Kulesa said.
Kulesa fostered another Love Is Fur Ever dog before Gabriel’s adoption was finalized. She brought Gabriel to his new home in Cape Coral at the end of March.
Gabriel’s health
After arriving in Southwest Florida, Gabriel endured several procedures to mend his skin from the burns.
In December, multi-colored buttons held together stitches that kept his skin closed.
Gabriel is no longer on antibiotics. His skin is nearly healed, said Thomas Jackson, Gabriel's veterinarian at Advanced Veterinary in Bonita Springs.
"All the edges have come together. Even the stitches are out," Jackson said. "There's a little bit more scarring than we anticipated, but right now we are so happy for him."
Gabriel's scars don't bother his new mom.
"He’s beautiful to me, no matter what," Kulesa said.
The next step for Gabriel will be to replace his hips, but that won't be for some time, Jackson said.
"Everyone decided he needs to be a dog. He needs to feel just loved and not have any pokes or prods," Kulesa said. "We are going to have to deal with that, just not yet."
Jackson said it's "remarkable" to see how far Gabriel has come since he first arrived at the clinic.
"Gabe’s case has been so long," Jackson said. "We went through the highs, the lows, the frustrations, the battles, the tears, the everything. We're just really proud of him and proud of the rescue that stuck it out with us."
Home at last
Kulesa said she loves that Gabriel is a gentle dog.
“After everything he’s been through, I can’t believe how relaxed he is,” she said. “He’s just the biggest lover.”
Kulesa and Kellum entered Gabriel in the American Humane Hero Dog Awards, a national competition recognizing dogs “who do extraordinary things.” An initial round of voting is open until May 7 at herodogawards.org.
In Cape Coral, Gabriel made himself at home right away, Kulesa said.
He loves daily walks with Kulesa and lounging on the lanai with his new brother and sister, cats Sylvester and Mango.
“He is just blossoming,” Kulesa said.
Brittany Carloni is the city of Naples reporter at the Naples Daily News. Support her work by subscribing to our local news organization. Find her on Twitter as @CarloniBrittany.
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