You never know what will happen when you save a life. Foxy, a Pit Bull mixed breed,
was taken out by his owner Joan Maquire of Fort Salonga, NY at 11:00 pm on a cold
and frigid night. Mrs. Maquire, 82, slipped and fell down the stairs, landing on
the cold ground outside of her home. She was unable to move or to signal for help
with her flashlight, so Foxy went into action. The canine covered Mrs. Maquire with
her body to keep her warm and frantically barked for an hour and a half to try to
draw attention from neighbors. Finally, neighbors summoned much-needed assistance
for her owner.
While Mrs. Maquire was recuperating from her broken hip, Foxy was sent to the Little
Shelter Dog and Cat Adoption Center. Foxy was very familiar with this facility as
her life was saved there. Following a car accident, Foxy was left with a badly broken
leg and was on death row at a local animal shelter. Thanks to the vet at Little
Shelter and three surgeries later, Foxy's leg was saved. Foxy stayed at Little Shelter
for 16 months and finally found a loving forever home with Mrs. Maquire.
Because of her heroic deed, Foxy was presented with the Heroes of Hartz Award presented
by the Hartz Mountain Corporation celebrating the human-animal bond. The black-tie
affair was held at the Ritz-Carlton in New York City where 250 guests shared their
evening with Foxy, Mrs. Maquire and the wonderful people at Little Shelter. Following
the trophy presentation to Foxy, the Hartz Corporation also presented a check for
$10,000 to Little Shelter as a donation to the "Foxy Fund". The "Foxy Fund"
was established to meet the needs of senior and special needs dogs and cats that
have been saved from death by Little Shelter as they wait to be adopted by a loving
family.