Baby the bulldog is recovering well and enjoyed Christmas recently.
Baby the bulldog is recovering well and enjoyed Christmas recently.
The Auckland woman whose beloved bulldog Baby was found in Northland after being missing for three years has been left overwhelmed after nearly $13,000 was donated by generous readers.
De-Anna Kitto had all but given up hope of finding her American bulldog after she went missing – presumably stolen – from her Papakura home in 2021.
She received a phone call from Far North District Council’s animal control service late last year saying Baby had been handed in as a stray.
The council was able to reunite Kitto with her dog because she was microchipped and Kitto had regularly updated her contact details on the National Dog Database.
Since the story was published in the Northern Advocate and NZ Herald on December 12, donations to Kitto’s Givealittle page to fund expensive vet treatments have skyrocketed to over $12,800.
De-Anna Kitto thanked everyone who donated to her Givealittle page.
Baby, who was 2 years old when she went missing, now weighs nearly 50kg.
Kitto said the money is being used to fund veterinary treatments for her dog, who was in a poor condition when she was handed in at the pound.
Baby had a severe skin infection caused by chronic mange, numerous cysts on her body, an ear infection and infected toes.
Her numerous trips to the vet resulted in antibiotics and other medications being administered, and her ears, which were swollen shut, “are all good now”.
The steroid medication she was taking has stopped working for Baby’s inflamed skin, so she’ll soon start having cortisone injections at a cost of $200 a month.
The vet wants to get Baby’s skin condition under control before removing a large cyst on her chest, Kitto said, and then she wants to get biopsies done on other, smaller lumps.
Kitto said Baby also needs regular washes with a special shampoo, a bottle of which costs $60 and lasts only one week “because she’s so big”.
Baby has been enjoying trips to the river with Kitto and her kids.
Kitto said the donations have also been used for “everything else she needs”, including a kennel, bedding and toys.
“We had nothing for her when we got her back.
“She has weekly vet treatments, and it’s nearly $400 every time we go to the vet.
Kitto said on good days, Baby enjoys swimming at the river with her kids, and on “bad days” when it’s too hot, she is kept inside as the heat affects her rash.
Baby also recently enjoyed her first Christmas in a while, and was given soft toys, chew toys, doggie ice cream and doggie cupcakes.
Overall, she’s pleased to be home, Kitto said.
“She’s so happy. She runs around the field with the kids, and she goes to the river with them.
“She doesn’t let me out of her sight, though – she follows me around everywhere.
“If I go to the toilet, I’ll come out and she’ll be sitting right there.
“If I won’t let her up on the bed, she’ll sit next to the bed and put her paw on me.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with roading, lifestyle, business, and animal welfare issues.
