Puyallup Animal Rescue Seeks Donations For 'Freeway Pittie'

PUYALLUP, WA — A female pit bull who multiple drivers saw jump from the back of a trailer traveling down Highway 512 last Thursday was checked out by animal hospitals in Tacoma and Sumner over the past week. Now, Puyallup Animal Rescue, a local nonprofit, is seeking donations from the community to help pay for the medical care the aptly dubbed "Freeway Pittie" needs.

According to Puyallup Animal Rescue (PAR), Freeway Pittie was seen bailing from the back of a small, open-air trailer she shared with at least two other adult pit bulls and several puppies as the white SUV pulling the dogs entered Highway 512 on the afternoon of June 13. The SUV was moving somewhere between 40 and 60 mph when Freeway Pittie hit the road, tumbled, then scampered into a nearby ditch.

Though the height of the fall wasn't terribly great, the speed at which the trailer was moving caused Freeway Pittie considerable damage to her head — particularly to her mouth, which sustained several broken teeth, PAR officials said.

Metro Animal Services was reportedly contacted immediately and quickly got Freeway Pittie to the Sumner Veterinary Hospital, where it was later determined she was likely part of a puppy mill of some kind, as the vets found she was currently in heat and had been previously bred numerous times.

PAR officials told Patch part of Freeway Pittie's care will involve spaying.

On Friday, Freeway Pitty was taken to the Animal Hospital of Parkland in Tacoma where a full checkup was conducted.

Following the checkup, vets determined Freeway Pittie "has infections from the fall, two broken canines, issues with her ears, serious swelling around her eyes, and is in heat," PAR officials told Patch Friday night. "Right now her lashes are rolling in towards her eye, but hopefully that will stop once the swelling goes down."

The vet will conduct bloodwork, officials added, and Freeway Pittie will not be spayed until her infections are cleared up — by which time they should know whether she'll need surgery on her eyes.

Based on PAR's partnership with the Animal Hospital of Parkland, the estimated cost of care is currently $1,082, though that does not include the potential eye surgery, officials noted.

Community donations had reached more than $500 by late Friday.

To make an online donation using PayPal, visit the PAR PayPal account by following this link, or mail in a physical donation to Puyallup Animal Rescue, PO Box 814, Puyallup, WA, 98371.

As a silver-lining, one of the vet techs who initially treated Freeway Pittie developed such an immediate bond that she'll likely adopt her at the conclusion of all the pit's medical care and the investigation being conducted by Metro Animal Services, PAR officials said.