Dog hit by car loses leg, is adopted by firefighter who helped her

Anthony Pulvino, a firefighter in Buffalo, was at the firehouse one evening last month when two teenage girls came rushing toward the station - holding an injured puppy.

“They saw her get hit by a car,” said Pulvino, 30, noting that the driver apparently drove off after clipping the dog’s back left leg about a block from the firehouse.

It was clear that the pit bull mix was in pain, he said, and she couldn’t move her injured leg. She was also covered in cuts and scrapes from the car.

“We were getting nervous,” said Pulvino, who put the dog in a box with a pillow and some sheets and rushed her to an emergency vet.

Pulvino had been pondering getting a dog for several months, he said, and felt a strong pull toward the wounded puppy, who he later learned was 4 months old.

“She was just staring right into you,” he said. Despite her distress, “she was so good and calm.”

When he dropped her at the vet that evening, April 5, he decided to leave his number, in the event that no one turned up to claim her. Pulvino called a few times over the following days to check in on the dog, who had surgery to remove her leg.

About a week after Pulvino dropped off the dog, he got a call from the vet saying the pup had no microchip and nobody had come for her.

Without hesitation, he said, “I’d love to take her.”

Pulvino said he was grateful he was there to help her.

“She just fell right into my lap,” he said.

He decided to name her Auburn, a suggestion from another firefighter’s wife, since Pulvino helped put out a fire on a street called Auburn that same night.

“It seemed fitting,” Pulvino said, adding that the two teens who helped save Auburn have stopped by the station to see how she’s doing.

Auburn has recovered well from her surgery and has already adjusted to living life with three legs. Her vet told Pulvino she is expected to function normally and will not need any further treatment.

“You would never know she has three legs; she is already jumping on the couch and running across the house,” said Pulvino, who also has two cats, Dos and Luna. “She’s so fast.”

Auburn’s favorite activity is going on car rides with Pulvino. Since their story aired on local news, Auburn has become a bit of a local celebrity. Pulvino said people often recognize her when they’re out.

Pulvino is training Auburn to be able to spend time at the firehouse - which involves familiarizing her with sirens and other loud sounds. For now, while he is at work, his family usually looks after Auburn. They adore her as much as he does.

“She is so bubbly,” Pulvino said. “She is just a sweetheart.”

Although Auburn had a rough start, Pulvino plans to make up for it.

“I want to make sure I give her the best life I can,” he said.