After an “extremely hungry” and “dehydrated” pitbull was found abandoned in the Allerton section of The Bronx on Saturday, May 4, and was placed in the care of Animal Care Centers of NYC (ACC), the pitbull in question has been euthanized by the center, much to the devastation of the local residents who helped rescue him.

 

The pitbull, who is pictured and who was later named “Mr. Worldwide” by ACC, had been found in Allerton around two and a half weeks after a cat rescue group Little Wanderers NYC shared allegations of organized pitbull fighting taking place at certain locations around The Bronx. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark later confirmed the allegations were under investigation by her office.

 

Anne Margaret Daniel, among other concerned Bronx residents, wrote to Norwood News on July 5 in part of Mr. Worldwide, “The NYC ACC have given him a kill command, claiming that he is now fighting to be out of his cage (as any creature would be after two months in that place) and saying that he must go to a foster or adoptive home without other dogs — when he arrived there completely dog friendly or neutral.”

As reported, local parks group Friends of Pelham Parkway said the pitbull had been found abandoned by Thawites Place across from 2260 Bronx Park East in early May, saying at the time that they estimated he was no older than 2 years of age and appeared to be a fighting dog. “He is very, very friendly [to people],” the group said, adding that he was extremely hungry and dehydrated. The group said several women came to his aid with food and water.

 

According to the Friends group, a park ranger later took the dog and brought him to an ACC shelter, located at 326 East 110th Street in Harlem, and he was later listed on their site. When Norwood News contacted ACC at the time and asked if the dog was available for adoption, a representative said he was not, and that he was currently listed as being “on stray hold.”

 

The representative added, “He still needs a behavior assessment and a medical assessment.” We asked if the center could confirm, once he had received the medical assessment, if there was, in the vet’s opinion, evidence of dog fighting. We did not receive a response.

 

Friends of Pelham Parkway founder, Roxanne Delgado, said in part at the time, “If I didn’t have a small chihuahua, I would have taken him in. This dog was neglected, and abandoned and probably used in dog fights.” She added, “If anyone wants to help this guy, please do so he needs a loving home.”

 

A Bronx Park East Neighborhood Community group later provided a broader account of the rescue, saying the NYPD’s 49th Precinct, NYC Parks, and the local community all worked together to rescue the dog. The group thanked the neighborhood member who posted the alert on May 4 on the Citizens App. They described the pitbull as “this handsome but underweight young dog tied to a post at Bronx Park East and Thwaites.”

 

They explained that the local NYPD community affairs officer was contacted about the abandoned dog and he advised calling 911 for the Animal Care team to come pick the dog up. The group added, “Before the NYPD arrived, NYC Parks employees cleaning in the area notified their supervisor, who came and held the dog – which was very friendly with people but very aggressive towards other dogs, a sign of being trained for dogfighting.”

 

The group said the Parks department called their officer who deals with abandoned animals in the parks and who owns a female pitbull rescue who had been formerly abused and dumped in the park. “Meanwhile, numerous community members, including one out walking her own dog, came with food, water, towels, even a blanket and toy to take with him to the ACC!” the group wrote in reference to Mr. Worldwide.

 

They went on to say that neighbors stayed with Mr. Worldwide until the Parks department animal rescue officer arrived. The group said the NYPD was updated at a certain point that NYC Parks was dealing with the situation and the NYC Parks officer said that taking the dog to ACC was the best option.

The group told Norwood News that they had been informed that once ACC checked Mr. Worldwide and assessed his health, the organization would give its owner a chance to retrieve him. They surmised that it was unlikely this would happen, however, as they said the dog had both old and recent wounds, and was underweight, a sign of neglect. The group went on to say that according to ACC, the center would test the dog to see what kind of home would be best for him e.g. probably one without other pets given his apparently trained aggression towards other animals, and that they would likely then offer him for adoption after a few days.

 

They said they would share any updates on adoption information once available on ACC’s website, adding that some neighbors had already expressed interest in doing so. They also said that the NYPD collected the information about the dog, along with photos as part of their ongoing investigation into alleged dogfighting taking place across The Bronx.

 

Diana Finch later told Norwood News she was the person who had called the NYPD and had then gone out to the park and had been there when the urban ranger came to pick up Mr. Worldwide. She told us at the time, “Contrary to what a lot of people believe, the best option for a dog like this IS to take it to ACC. Dogs like this need to be tested and placed only with people who understand what’s involved and can provide an appropriate setting for the dog.”

 

She added in part, “There is also an organization that works specifically with pit bulls, ‘Adore-a-Bullie Paws and Claws,’ who apparently have a rep in The Bronx.” However, she said that given the circumstances, it was felt that ACC was the best option on the day in question. Finch said she also took close-up photos of the dog’s wounds but didn’t post them to social media. She said she did send them to the NYPD Community Affairs Officer.

In conclusion, the Bronx Park East Neighborhood Community group wrote, “Special thanks to 49th Precinct, Community Affairs Officer Powers, Urban Park Rangers Partin and Carrero, and all the concerned community members,” adding that 911 followed up later to check the outcome of the abandoned dog! “Everyone worked together so well for a happy outcome for this deserving dog!” they wrote.

 

Finch later said that under the “Found Pets” section of ACC’s website, it said that ACC had assessed the abandoned pitbull and that he was actually 8 years old. “I had no idea; he’s so skinny and eager with people. He seemed young,” she said. “They named him Mr. Worldwide.”

 

She went on to say on May 8, “Mr. Worldwide passed the ACC evaluation and is up for adoption! He’s assessed as a sweet, social, older gentleman who loves getting pets.” His details were listed here. “Hope he gets to come back to The Bronx!” Finch added.

 

One instagram user, Brooklyn Skittles, later told Norwood News on reading our story that she had also reported the abandoned dog to her boss while working in the vicinity of Bronx Park East.

Norwood News contacted ACC for an update on the status of Mr. Worldwide on July 5. We also contacted another female resident who had previously contacted us about another abandoned pitbull who had been rescued from Morris Heights MetroNorth station in recent months to see if potentially she was interested in adopting Mr. Worldside, and as she had told us she was interested in adopting another pitbull as hers had recently died. However, she responded, saying she had already adopted another dog in the meantime.

Hundreds of pets are currently available for adoption on ACC’s website, https://nycacc.app/. The number for the center is (212) 788 4000.

We will share any feedback we receive from ACC’s media team.

In other pet-related news, the Urban Resource Institute and New York City Department of Homeless Services recently announced that the first pet-friendly shelter for unhoused families recently opened in The Bronx.