Woman Rescues Traumatized Pit Bull—Heart Breaks at What Vet Tells Her

Newsweek

03-07-2025

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A woman has stepped in to rescue an emaciated and terrified pit bull named Violet who was found abandoned in a trailer park.
Paulla King (u/NahNah-P), 53, of Kellyville, Oklahoma, is known locally as the "dog lady" for her tireless work helping stray and abandoned dogs. She was alerted by someone in the community who discovered two pit bulls dumped in the park. The smaller of the two dogs, believed to be Violet's daughter, had been eating all the food that strangers left out.
King took Violet to the vet immediately and learned the heartbreaking truth.
"She has had trauma both physically and mentally from severe abuse and will require intense therapy to recover," King told Newsweek.
She shared Violet's story in the subreddit "pitbulls" and a subsequent update, where it garnered a wave of support.
King said she doesn't know much about the dogs' history, but it's clear they were dumped and had been surviving on the streets for some time. Violet appeared to have recently been separated from a litter of puppies and was in dire condition when found—starving, injured, and emotionally broken.
"She's in really bad shape," King explained. "She has a body score of maybe a 1, you can see every bone in her body. She's got cuts and abrasions over 90 percent of her body and one nipple appears to have been partially torn off. I just try my best not to touch anything that hurts."
King has begun feeding her Iams lamb and rice with Pedialyte and gave her Gabapentin after confirming her stool was clear of blood. Despite her wounds, Violet is eating, drinking, and going to the bathroom regularly—a small but promising sign of progress.
"She reminds me so much of my last girl in her looks," King shared. "So I had a Sweet Pea and now it looks like I have a Violet. Please send this sweet girl healing vibes. I'm praying I can help her get through this."
King later updated the community on Violet's first vet visit. The vet cautioned that Violet's recovery would be a slow process due to both her physical condition and extreme psychological trauma.
"She growled at the vet and the techs—she was just super terrified of being hurt," King reported. "It took over an hour of coaxing with treats just to get her comfortable enough to be touched. She's great with me because I move slowly and haven't given her any reason to fear me, but she doesn't trust new people."
A split image showing Violet the pit bull lying on her front and then sweetly staring into the camera.
A split image showing Violet the pit bull lying on her front and then sweetly staring into the camera.
Paulla King/Paulla King
Violet currently weighs just 41.8 pounds—estimated to be 20 to 30 pounds underweight. She's on a special diet of Royal Canin gastrointestinal food until her digestive system stabilizes, and she's been prescribed a number of medications including Trazodone, Gabapentin, Doxycycline, Visbiome probiotic, and Sileo for anxiety during fireworks. She's also receiving treatment for an upper respiratory infection and has been given NexGard and Drontal for fleas, ticks, and worms.
King said her veterinarian confirmed what she had feared: this wasn't just a case of neglect—Violet had been subjected to severe and intentional abuse.
"She said someone beat her horribly to make her this scared," King said. "This wasn't just abandonment. Hearing the confirmation of something so horrible—you almost pray you're wrong."
The vet and King both noted Violet's biggest trigger appears to be human hands. She flinches in fear when someone reaches near her face, suggesting she associates hands with being hit.
"She loves to be pet, so just imagine how confused she is—she's both terrified of being hit and yearning for your hands to pet her and love on her all at once," King said. "Her brain overloads. Someone warped that simple pleasure."
To help Violet feel safe, King has added calming tools like a muzzle and a ThunderShirt to her Amazon wishlist. She's also received an outpouring of support from the online community.
"I don't have words to express gratitude for all the gifts, the vet bill credit, the gift card," King shared. "I've never had this kind of help in my life. You guys have become as much of her pack as I have."
Redditors were deeply moved by Violet's story and King's dedication.
"I know she has a long road ahead of her but just a few days of your love has made a major impact! You are a wonderful human," wrote one user.
"You just brought me to tears, friend. Thank you for being an example of the good that humanity is capable of; I dearly needed reminding," said another.
Others simply wished them both the best: "Good luck. I want a happy ending for all of you. Thanks for what you're doing."
"Seeing this and your previous post brought me to tears," added another user. "Thank you for doing this and I hope you are able to give this sweet little girl a new life full of the love and attention she deserves."
King plans to update Violet's supporters again after her next vet visit.
"I believe it's going to take time," she said. "And hopefully, she has plenty of it."
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