07/09/2025
Incredible news! The two dogs dumped in Kingwood Township, Hunterdon County NJ in mid June have been reunited together and are safe with PURA VIDA Animal Rescue Inc. Veterinary Health & Wellness where they are getting the (extensive) Vet and “decompressing”care they need!
“Mattie and Mazzie” are two very sweet and affectionate 1-2 year old Lab/Staffordshire Terrier/Boxer/Great Dane sisters who went through a horrific ordeal this past month - dumped, separated, running for many many miles without food or water in extreme heat, hit by a car, frightened and scared.
Mattie spent her time on the NJ side in Hunterdon County, starting at Bulls Island then running throughout Kingwood, up to Pittstown, Alexandria Township, back down to Frenchtown, and then into Kingwood again. So many people in the community worked together to post sightings, leave food, and do their best to try to capture a frightened dog in “survival mode.” The police and animal control were called many times with sightings but the response was always the same “animal control will not come out unless you have the dog(s) contained.” (And so your taxes pay for a service that is supposed to “handle stray and injured animals” but it is up to the public to do the work - a public not trained - a public not vaccinated against rabies etc. A service who puts the untrained public in danger). Thank goodness for our friends at Hound Hunters of New Jersey, Inc. who stepped in with their brilliant trapping skills to help…we got a call that Mattie was on a porch in Kingwood - Hound Hunters rushed to the scene - Mattie was still there exhausted but trusting…a trap was set and she went right in! A big collective sigh of relief! Thank you Hound Hunters!
What to do with Mattie on a Sunday evening once trapped? We made a call to Pura Vida and they were so generous to take Mattie in that night - she was covered in ticks, hungry, dehydrated, and scared…but within a few hours she was tucked into a soft bed and had her first real sleep (with a full belly) in weeks…the only thing missing was her beloved sister Mazzie...
Within a few days of being dumped, the sisters became separated and Mazzie made her way across the Bulls Island foot bridge onto the PA side of the Delaware River. Sadly she immediately ran into the road and was hit by a van…she got up and started running and running and running south and the next day there were sightings of her in the Wrightstown/Upper Makefield area of PA…then the Washington Crossing PA area…and then nothing…no more sightings….we were scared that she had collapsed in the heatwave - injured with no food or water…. As part of a rescue collaboration in Hunterdon, we do not sleep at night until we get closure - we are boots on the ground, on line detectives, and so much more. Thank you to Cindy Fij who hwas a big help on the PA side and to Jill Sperling who runs the Lost and Found Pets Hunterdon County facebook page, as she called and found Mazzie at the Bucks County SPCA where she had been for about 3 days. Apparently she had headed back north and was getting close to the Black Bass again (Carversville) (their navigation systems are amazing!) We are waiting on the police report as they apparently picked her up(?)… Jill was told that she was catatonic in her pen, would not look at anyone, had not been seen by a vet, they did not know she was hit by a car…of course this is very frustrating to those of us who work so hard to reunite animals - did they not see the pleas on the Bucks County pages looking for her? Why would they not post her as being found? Carolyn Murphy from Pura Vida called the Bucks SPCA and they agreed to release her to Pura Vida to reunite with her sister. The next morning their vet looked at her, said that pus was coming out of her uterus - it was pyrometra - a life threatening bacterial infection that fills the uterus with pus. They opened her and found she was carrying dead puppies…she was spayed, is healthy and picked up!
Mattie and Mazzie are together now at Pura Vida and are inseparable! Besties! They are very sweet and affectionate dogs who love to be with people. And they love to cuddle too! Carolyn has a large dog bed on the floor where they invite her to lay with them because they want to cuddle and be quietly loved on by humans. You have heard it before - dogs who have been through this hell need to decompress and that is what they are doing. They are now in a routine which gives them an added sense of security. They are very obedient and know commands. They will SIT for treats and other commands - they aim to please people.
Once they decompress completely and receive full Vet care, they will be available for adoption to an owner who understands that they need a lot of exercise - they love to run and chase and play as they are still young pups. Leash training is necessary too. Once that energy is worked out a few times a day they settle in to their routine and naps. A home with no other pets because they do consider themselves Princesses at this point, and rightly so!
We are all so grateful to the residents on both sides of the River who reported sightings, we are grateful to Hound Hunters for all that they do to help lost and abandoned dogs in need, a shout out to Jill for playing detective and finding Mazzie…and most of all a massive thank you to Pura Vida and Carolyn Murphy for opening their hearts up to these two beautiful girls who so desperately needed a soft place to land, someone who is extremely dog savvy who understands their emotional needs, and most importantly a place where they can get all of their medical needs taken care of - Mattie still needs all vet care including spay, vaccines, parasite treatment etc done and both girls need to be tested for heart worm (fingers crossed).
Hunterdon County (non-profit) rescues operating without a municipal shelter (only 1 of about 3 counties in the state of NJ), doing the work that "animal control for profit corporations" will no longer do, basically trying to SAVE THEM ALL with the help of public donations. Please consider a donation to help with Mattie and Mazzie’s vet care through Pura Vida at www.puravidaanimalrescue.org
Second chances happen the moment you open your heart to a rescued animal-in this case two very sweet pups
With Gratitude
Lori - Lambertville Animal Welfare
