After successful surgery, former bait dog has a forever home



less Corinne Manley picks up Calvin to take him home on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, a day after the dog received surgery for serious injuries received as a bait dog in dog fights. The community donated money through a GoFundMe account for his treatment. Corinne Manley picks up Calvin to take him home on Wednesday, Feb. 22, 2017, a day after the dog received surgery for serious injuries received as a bait dog in dog fights. The community donated money through a ... more Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Photo: Marie D. De Jesus, Houston Chronicle Image 1 of / 38 Caption Close After successful surgery, former bait dog has a forever home 1 / 38 Back to Gallery

Calvin, a former bait dog who endured horrible injury at the hands of people conducting dog fights, is finally getting a break.

The pitbull mix who's estimated to be about 4 years old has been adopted by a veterinary technician at Blue Pearl Specialty and Emergency Pet Hospital in Spring, where he had surgery Tuesday.

"I think he's going to be stuck with me," said technician Corinne Manley.

She took him home after an operation to save his leg, which had been severely injured when he was likely tossed into dog fights as bait for larger, more aggressive dogs.

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"Everything appeared to go really well," Manley said of the surgery. "He might have an underlying infection in that leg, so we're trying to get on top of that."

Calvin, remarkably sweet-natured despite the earlier abuse, is on a lot of pain medication and "cage rest" for a couple days, she said.

Manley has three female dogs, who welcomed the newcomer.

"He's met all my girls," Manley said.

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A good Samaritan couple brought Calvin to Blue Pearl clinic Feb. 7, after they found him somewhere on the streets. They were hoping to get him patched up but were overwhelmed by the projected cost of surgery, wound care, dental work and heart worm treatment, Manley said.

The couple decided to surrender the dog to Manley, who posted a GoFundMe page, which quickly exceeded the $10,000 goal.

On Thursday, the account had more than $17,000, with the extra amount slated to help other bait dogs suffering from devastating injuries.