CLEWISTON- Clewiston Animal Control has recently been overwhelmed with unwanted animals, but continues to work to find them safe, happy homes.

“Pretty as a penny is the saying and Penny the pitbull’s story is pretty as they come,” explained Animal Control Officer Jamie Wright. “Penny came to CAC as a stray abandoned dog over a month ago from running the streets in a very dangerous and rural area heavily known for puppy mills and dog fighting.”

Penny ended up in the right place at the right time, when a local resident  found her and kept her sheltered her from the streets hoping to find her owner. After a week, the resident had no luck finding anyone to claim Penny, so Clewiston Animal Control (CAC) was called.

“Penny came in slightly underweight, dirty and baring a few scars. After a good bath and TLC she became a healthy happy girl,” the CAC report stated. “Unfortunately CAC faced a very rough situation of overcapacity after having a 12 dog intake at one time, on top of already having 10 dogs and only 14 kennels. After multiple attempts for rescues we were faced to potentially euthanize 6 amazing dogs, Penny being one.”

After posting a plea for help on social media, CAC managed to secure rescues for all of the dogs that were in danger.

“We received over 65+ calls in just one day to help our animals but one call in particular stood out -- a call for Penny,” Animal Control Officer Amanda Nelson explained. “As it turns out Penny was a puppy from an accidental litter of puppies. The family tried their best to rehome them to loving caring homes and was promised the pups would be safe. However this was not the case for Penny. Upon learning of Penny’s disappearance, her owners began a search for her that lead to many dead ends.”

When they saw the photo of Penny on Facebook, the family immediately recognized her.

“Her original owners high-tailed it as fast as they could to CAC and they were reunited. The connection was undeniable and there was no doubt Penny knew exactly who they were. Even after being missing .... for two years! Yes that is correct Penny went missing back in 2019,” the report said.

“Penny is a spitting image of her mother who the family tragically lost a few years ago so the resemblance of her mother brought a speck of peace to the home. The family has since sent updates and Penny is now a happy healthy girl in her forever home!” the Animal Control Officers explained.