'Look what you're missing out on... you can't have her back': Owner of rescue dog who was starved and burned with cigarettes sends message to previous owners

Alex de Campi adopted Cathy the Pitbull three years ago

Cathy's owners had been evicted and the severely abused dog was taken to a kill shelter

De Campi, from New Hampshire, penned the Craigslist message to assure the former owners the pooch was OK

She has been inundated with support from people all over the world

When Alex de Campi rescued Cathy from a kill shelter, the Pitbull was emaciated, had a severe eye infection and was covered in cigarette burns.

But after three years in a loving home, the precious pooch no longer has skin problems, loves to swim and is a gentle playmate for de Campi's three-year-old daughter, Lorelei.



Now, de Campi has penned an emotional message to Cathy's previous owners on Craigslist showing them exactly what they’re missing.

'She is truly an ambassador for her breed, even people who don't like pits will stop and pat her as she happily wags her tail. She loves to sleep in sunbeams, and is so happy to go on walks or swims she just wags her tail with every step,' she wrote.

'I am hoping Cathy can spend many more happy years with us. She really is the best dog. P.S. you can't have her back.'



Cathy now

Thriving: Cathy the Pitbull was starving and burned with cigarettes when Alex de Campi took her in in 2011, but three years later she has become a healthy and loving dog Cathy in 2011 Abused: Cathy the Pitbull old was incredibly skinny and covered in cigarette burns when she was seized by animal control and taken to the kill shelter in 2011

Damaged: When Cathy's owners were evicted on February 9, 2011, she was really skinny, had bad skin infections, had undergone a Caesarian and been burned with cigarettes (pictured)

De Campi told MailOnline she posted the note out of concern, not animosity, for Cathy's previous owners. She doesn't know who they are.



Cathy was taken to Manhattan’s Animal Care and Control on February 9, 2011, when her owners were evicted from an apartment on Catherine Street in New York.



'If they were evicted, they couldn't have been having a good time. New York can be a very cruel place. I just wanted to say that their dog made it out and she is ok,' de Campi, from New Hampshire, said.



'But then, maybe the people who owned her had found her on the streets and took her in or adopted her. You can't just assume that just because Cathy was in a bad condition in their care that they were bad people.'

The mother-of-one said she has been inundated with messages of support from dog-lovers all over the world thanking her for her generosity after she posted the message two days ago.



'People seem to have been very charmed by her story,' de Campi said.



Happy home

Happy home: Cathy the Pitbull is good-natured and gentle around children, including Alex de Campi's adorable three-year-old daughter, Lorelei (pictured)

Gorgeous soul: Dog lover Alex de Campi (pictured) volunteers ay Red Hook Dog Rescue, a small special-needs dog rescue, and regularly fosters pooches

When de Campi first laid eyes on Cathy, she was shocked at what she saw.

The pooch was so skinny, her bones stuck out. She could barely see due to an eye infection.

The shelter named her Cathy because she was found on Catherine Street.

'She had been bred A LOT. She'd even had a Caesarian, judging by the scar,' de Campi wrote on Craigslist.

'They said at the kill shelter she was 12 years old. She also had a lopsided face and it looked like there were a few cigarette burns on her head/ears.'

But it was Cathy's lopsided face that made de Campi fall in love with her. De Campi saw the dog's picture on an animal rescue Facebook page.



Even though her daughter Lorelei was just six-weeks-old, de Campi decided to adopt Cathy through Rebound Hounds and save her from death.

'She looked so sweet...and like she could have a better life,' she said.



De Campi, a talented writer and director, has never looked back - despite Cathy's heavy snoring.



'She is sleeping next to me as I type this, grunting with joy,' de Campi wrote on Craigslist.

'In fact, she sleeps on my bed every night. Your dog is an awesome dog. We love her so much. The past three years we've had with her have brought us (and her) so much happiness.'

She said Cathy, now 15, loves to swim, go on long walks and socialize.

She has also become best friends with little Lorelei, who was a newborn when Cathy was adopted.



The Craigslist message 'I have your dog': Alex de Campi described in chilling detail on Craigslist the horrors Cathy the Pitbull endured before she adopted her

'You can't have her back': Dog lover Alex de Campi penned this Craigslist message to show Cathy's previous owners what they are missing

De Campi, who volunteers for Red Hook Dog Rescue, regularly fosters dogs and helps find homes for dogs-in-need.

She is also active on Facebook rescue pages for cats and dogs such as Urgent Death Row Dogs and Pets on Death Row.



'Whoever said you can't teach an old dog news tricks has never owned an old dog,' de Campi told MailOnline.

'Dogs are like people. Some people are born with silver spoons in their mouths and you just don't want to be around them. But then there are others that have come from nothing and really suffered and they're still the most generous people you can imagine.

'Not every abused dog comes right but it is in their nature to be loyal to their master and all they are looking for is kindness.'

Cathy now



Loving bond: Alex de Campi's three-year-old daughter Lorelei (pictured) was just six-weeks-old when the pooch was adopted and the pair have become great friends

Beautiful: Alex de Campi said her Pitbull Cathy is 'truly an ambassador for her breed', with people often stopping in the street to pat her

Pure bliss: Alex de Campi said Cathy sleeps on her bed every night, even though the dog snores loudly

Water baby: Cathy has become a sociable dog who loves to swim

Playful: Cathy the Pitbull loves to sleep in sunbeams, go on walks and jump into the water





