To see the spunky, 4-month-old Boston terrier today, it’s difficult to believe the condition he was in when first brought to the public’s attention less than two months ago.
At just 7 weeks old, the puppy was at death’s door on July 4, when a delivery man noticed his condition at a Lancaster County farm and convinced the owners to give him up. He was dehydrated, emaciated and suffering from mange.
The puppy was brought to the Dillsburg Veterinary Center the next day by Janine Guido, founder of the Mechanicsburg-based Speranza Animal Rescue – which named the pup Libre.
An outpouring of public support was directed toward the Dillsburg facility, and — thanks to the award-winning efforts of the center's Dr. Ivan Pryor and many others at the facility — Libre began to recover.
Saying she has “cried more tears over Libre than any other dog,” Guido soon announced her intention to adopt the pup. “I just love him,” she says.
Meanwhile, the man who allegedly neglected Libre, 33-year-old Benjamin S. Stoltzfus of Quarryville, was charged by the Lancaster County district attorney with animal cruelty.
The DA acted after Lancaster County SPCA Executive Director Susan Martion refused to bring charges against Stoltzfus. Amid public outrage, she resigned.
As a result of Libre’s story, state Sen. Richard Alloway proposed Libre’s Law, legislation that would implement stronger measures to prevent animal cruelty and penalize animal abusers.
A rally for Libre’s Law will be held Sept. 28 from noon to 1 p.m. on the steps of the Capitol Building in Harrisburg. A news conference is scheduled for 12:15 and supporters are urged to contact their state representatives to urge passage.
Libre will be there. And that’s something no one would have imagined back in early July.
