CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Nestled in his owner’s arms and enjoying soft scratches, Julio the French bulldog looked content, like he knew he was back where he belongs. The improbability of the moment was not lost on Jayla Gittens, who spent nearly a year trying to get him back from his apparent captors.
While his body is bony, reflecting the 15 pounds he lost during his time away from home, Gittens said his playful personality is starting to bounce back, nearly a week since he was discovered. Julio was apparently abandoned ahead of a snowstorm, outside the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control shelter, barking at the dogs housed inside. A veterinarian has given him a clean bill of health, and Gittens is confident he will safely regain the weight he lost.
Gittens said she got the call she had waited months to receive — and just in time.
“The week before I got the call, I was looking at all his stuff in my house,” Gittens said. “I was wondering, ‘Should I get rid of this stuff?’ It’s been so long.”…