In early February 2023, the ASPCA was on the ground in Spaulding County, Georgia, providing support after tornadoes struck. We built a temporary shelter for unowned pets and other animals displaced by the storms, provided daily care and assisted in reunification efforts. About a month later, once all unowned animals were relocated and our job was done, our team packed up and headed home.

Back at the Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Columbus, Ohio, Amanda Kruczynski, Senior Director of Operations, received a call from a local shelter back in Georgia requesting assistance with a unique situation.

“A puppy had been brought in by a citizen,” Amanda, pictured below, recalled. “The citizen did let us know that his entire family was found deceased on the side of the road.”

Just three days after leaving Georgia, Amanda, excited for the opportunity to give the orphaned puppy a second chance, headed back to pick him up. 

The puppy, later named Murphy, was only 2 weeks old and depended on a bottle for feeding every few hours, making it imperative that he stay with a foster caregiver during his days in our care.

“I remember the first time I saw him,” she said. “He was just this tiny, tiny little thing that fit in the palm of my hand. He brought such a sense of hope from a community that had been impacted so negatively by these tornadoes.”

Murphy ended up spending the night in Amanda’s hotel room, sleeping in bed with her and waking up every couple of hours to bottle feed. The next morning, Amanda and Murphy drove back to Ohio, once again stopping every few hours to bottle feed.

“And that was my life for the next few weeks,” Amanda, who decided to foster Murphy, told us. “He spent a lot of time with my cats who were four times the size of him, and he just brought such a sense of joy into my life.”

After a month together, Murphy had officially weaned off the bottle and went to a second foster home for another two weeks where his foster helped him find his family.

Murphy’s Second Chance

Melissa N. and her husband weren’t looking for a dog. They already had two – Rosie, a 10-year-old Boxer and Lucy, a 3-year-old pit bill-mix – but when they received a text from a friend about a puppy for adoption through the ASPCA they soon found themselves with a third.

“We were just in love immediately,” said Melissa. “He was super tiny – we had no idea he was going to get as big as he is – but he was just really playful and sweet.”

When Murphy arrived home, he settled in almost immediately.

“He was awfully curious when we first brought him home,” Melissa told us.  “He was checking things out to see what they were and what he could do. Now he’s not curious, he just does it. If he wants something, he goes and he takes it. If he wants to play, he pushes Lucy around getting her to play with him. He walks around like he owns the place.”

Melissa did a doggy DNA test for Murphy and found that, though initially assumed to be a pit bull-mix like Lucy, Murphy is 100 percent American Bully. Though initially the tiniest of the group, Murphy is now 70 pounds and outweighs both his sisters.

“He’s a food hog. He will eat all of the food, everyone’s food, no matter what,” Melissa explained. "So, he gets his dinner first and then goes somewhere else. Either to his crate to play for a while or to a bedroom with someone while Lucy and Rosie eat.”

While Murphy may be the biggest of the pups, he still has some puppy-like traits. 

“Since he was a puppy, when he wants to settle down, he will grab a blanket and pull it up in his paws and suck or chew on it until he falls asleep,” said Melissa.

Sparking Joy

Despite coming from a beginning filled with destruction and devastation, Murphy is enjoying his second chance at life and bringing joy to his family and all those that cared for him.

“Knowing that Murphy was able to come from a situation that was so tragic in the beginning to a situation where he only knows love and he has made a difference in the lives of so many people, that’s the ideal happy ending,” said Amanda. “That’s the ending we all search for when we’re trying to find an adopter. We didn’t just impact Murphy’s life, he impacted ours and he impacted so many people’s lives.”

“I think it’s a pretty amazing story considering where he came from,” said Melissa as she wiped tears from her eyes. “We try to do our best at giving him a really loving home. It makes me emotional because it’s a really great story.”