Last year, a stray pittie named Bam arrived at a rescue in Newark, New Jersey. From his very first day at the shelter, all of the staff members were amazed by how happy and friendly he was.
“He stood at the front of his kennel with the biggest smile,”
Maria Garber, Bam’s foster mom, said in a video for The Dodo.
As the shelter staff examined Bam, they discovered that his happy-go-lucky exterior was concealing a dark past. Between his emaciated body and his shaved-down teeth, it quickly became clear that Bam was a former bait dog.
Shortly after Garber first encountered Bam, she learned that he already had an adopter lined up for him. Garber was concerned that the adopter knew about Bam’s past as a bait dog and didn’t have the best intentions for him. So when his adopter never ended up coming to pick him up, Garber was relieved.
Garber felt such an instant connection with Bam that she volunteered to foster him herself. He smiled during the entire car ride from the shelter to her house.
“That night, he slept in a soft bed for the first time,” Garber said. “He snored, he relaxed. And then the next morning, he woke up smiling.”
Garber watched in awe as the dog, who’d been through so much, completely blossomed now that he was finally in a safe home. She discovered that he enjoyed going on long walks and car rides, playing with new toys and trying on all the cute pajamas she’d bought for him.
“Despite the blatant abuse, he is the sweetest boy,” Garber said.
Once Bam was fully back on his feet, Garber knew it was time to find a permanent home for him. Given how sweet Bam is, it’s unsurprising that a family wanted to meet him right away. The moment they met Bam, they fell in love and decided to adopt him.
“We couldn’t be more in love,” Bam’s new parents wrote on Instagram. “So happy Carmy found his way into our lives.”
Bam, renamed to Carmy by his family, has been enjoying settling into his new home for the past six months. The two kids who are part of the family have brought out the pup’s playful side. His favorite thing to do, though, is curl up on the couch and cuddle for hours.
“[Carmy] will never know a cage again,” Garber said. “Never know cruelty again. He’ll only know love.”
