SYRACUSE -- A TV star and his dog are trying to raise awareness about fighting animal cruelty.
Princess, Syracuse the starved pit bull who made a remarkable recovery, got a celebrity visit from the Animal Planet’s ‘Pit Boss.’
Shorty Rossi, the Pit Boss, and his dog Hercules, were be at the CNYSPCA in Syracuse on Friday afternoon to meet Princess, who was rescued by the CNYSPCA last November.
"If you're going to get an animal, adopt or however you get it, you should treat it like it's your best friend," Rossi said.
Princess was rescued from a Syracuse basement in early November. She had been starved by her owner and was only 25 pounds when she should have weighted 50 pounds. She was extremely emaciated, her ribs could be seen poking through her skin. Paul Morgan, executive director of the SPCA, says Princess is now back at her her full weight.
"She's doing great, very high spirited, a lot of fun," Morgan says.
Rossi says he's trying to bring awareness to pit bulls. He says they are never a problem, but rather their owners can be.
"Pit bulls are the best loving dogs in the world," he said. "Pit bulls can go anywhere without a problem. It's not the dog that's the problem, it's the humans."
You can meet Shorty Rossi and Hercules in person at the Palace Theater in Syracuse Saturday, January 21st from 1 to 6pm.
Princess can’t be adopted until her owner’s animal cruelty court case is resolved. Princess’s owner, Wendy Collins, 32, has pleaded not guilty to charges of failing to provide proper sustenance and failing to provide veterinary care. Collins did not show up to her January court date and judge issued a bench warrant for her arrest.
Rossi and his pit bull, Hercules, will be guests on Weekend in Central New York Saturday, January 22 at 9:00am. He will be here in support of a new organization in Central New York called ‘Cuse Pit Crew which is working to educate and advocate for this wonderful yet often maligned and abused breed.
