A dog found gagged and injured nearly a decade ago in South Carolina and who became a symbol of hope for rescue animals has died.
The Charleston Animal Society shared the news of Caitlyn’s death on social media Monday night following an update by the pet’s family.
“We are devastated to share that our sweet Caitlyn peacefully passed over the rainbow bridge on Sunday surrounded by love,” wrote Ted, Danielle, Regin, Sully, the family that took in the abused dog.
The family said Caitlyn became ill in the last week and was diagnosed with an advanced and aggressive cancer.
“As was her nature, she fought until the end,” the family said. “Caitlyn was a beloved and now deeply missed member of our family. She loved us as much as we loved her and we will never forget her. For us, this is a reminder of how fleeting life can be and that we should all value the time we have with our loved ones because tomorrow is not guaranteed.”
In September 2015, Caitlyn was brought to the animal protection organization after she was found with electrical tape wrapped tightly around her muzzle, cutting off blood flow and clamping her teeth down on her tongue.
Shortly after her story went viral, Caitlyn’s recovery captured the hearts of people across the world.
The family said they are “eternally grateful” to Charleston Animal Society for entrusting them to take care of Caitlyn, and praised the animal rescue for the incredible work they do every day.
“People would often say to us how lucky she was to have found us when the exact opposite was true,” the family said. “She was a tremendous blessing and a gift to our family that we cherished and loved everyday.”
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The family said they are proud of the work done on her case and other instances of animal welfare and combatting cruelty in the state.
“However, as proud as we are of bringing justice to her, what we are proudest of is being her family and having had her in our lives for as long we did.”