Volunteers work to save sick pit bull from being destroyed

This is Sarge the dog, and this is his story.

Only Sarge knows how he lived the first seven years of his life. That's his secret. But this is his journey, as shared by Frank and Tammy Sciliano and their daughter, Alex, TBF volunteers who rescued Sarge and brought him to The Buddy Foundation.

Sarge is a 7-year-old pit bull who was found wandering in south Aurora in early August, 2014. Animal control captured him and impounded him in their facility. It was obvious to them he was in extreme pain, suffering from a serious health issue that appeared to be some type of hernia that impeded his ability to walk.

His teeth were ground to nubs. Seemingly, he hadn't had a bath in years. He stayed caged for three months due to his condition.

Sarge came to the attention of Molly Peskind, an attorney and recent DePaul Law School graduate. Molly loves dogs, pit bulls in particular. She saw Sarge at Aurora animal control, lying in pain, in his cage, afraid and so vulnerable. But Sarge, a dog so mistreated, abandoned and in pain, made no sound nor acted out.

Molly was told by animal control due to the severity of his injury and the high cost of his surgery, Sarge would most likely be destroyed. Determined to save him, Molly created an online donation site to raise money for his surgery and begged for help to rescue Sarge from certain death. Molly got Sarge's story out there for all to see and her efforts paid off.

Alex Siciliano, animal lover and student at DePaul Law School, attended an animal rights group at school and learned about Sarge from a flyer passed out at the meeting. Alex immediately contacted her mom and dad, seeking help for Sarge.

Not only are the Sicilianos animal lovers, the name "Sarge" was the name of Frank's police K-9 partner years ago when he was a police K-9 handler. They were doubly hooked into saving Sarge.

Frank contacted Jan Bierman at The Buddy Foundation and the wheels were set in motion to save this poor animal who had been abandoned by humans and an overwrought system. In less than two days, The Buddy Foundation had custody of Sarge.

Frank and Tammy arrived at Aurora animal control at 6 a.m. to transport Sarge to Schaumburg Animal Hospital for a scheduled surgery at 8:15 a.m. When the animal control officer brought Sarge out to Frank and Tammy, they saw he had an extremely large herniation protruding from his rear and abdomen.

Considering his state of health, they were uncertain of Sarge's temperament and condition, expecting him to be a handful and possibly aggressive. But this amazing animal simply licked Frank's face and pushed up against him for affection.

Due to the severity of his condition, Sarge was unable to have his surgery at Schaumburg Animal Hospital. Once again, Frank and Tammy transported Sarge, taking him to Buffalo Grove Specialty Center where he was seen by Dr. Claude Gendreau.

Frank describes Sarge throughout this exhausting trip.

"It took two hours for Sarge to be seen by the doctor and all through his car ride, the wait, his journey from a cage to unknown people and places, he never made a sound. He stood stoic and resolved to not perish, to simply not die. He was going to live despite what had been a stacked deck against him."

Dr. Gendreau operated on Sarge and the perineal hernia was repaired. Dr. Gendreau said it was the worst case he'd ever seen and it was obvious it been left untreated for a long time. Everyone at the surgery center fell in love with Sarge, with one of the workers starting the adoption process to take Sarge home.

Sarge's remarkable, improbable journey took three months of suffering in a cage with no walks, no love other than Molly's visits, to a five-day journey from the time The Buddy Foundation was contacted until he was saved and his surgery.

Frank notes, "Once in motion, the wheels turned ever so quickly to save Sarge. If not for the efforts of Buddy, Sarge would have been euthanized by now."

Sarge is now a Buddy dog for life. In the aftermath of his surgery, Sarge needed constant care. All of the volunteers took to him, falling in love with him. Frank and Tammy went to the shelter day and night to administer meds, ice his wound and to assure him he was now safe and loved.

Carmella showed him love, affection and attention everyday he stayed at the shelter. Barb took it upon herself to ensure his meds were on time, while Thomas immediately befriended Sarge and looked after him.

Frank ends his and Tammy's part in Sarge's journey with the following:

"I'm sure I've missed many volunteers, and I apologize for not naming them all by name. Thank you to all the volunteers who pitched in. But we are only a very small part of Sarge's story, it was everyone - from Molly, to Jan Bierman, to all of the volunteers who were involved saving this dog's life. Our personal input was minimal comparatively. I'd like to stress that."

I think all of these people are heroes. I thank them all for allowing me to share Sarge's story. The Buddy Foundation is made up of the most incredible group of people I know. All of the Buddy Foundation animals, past, present and future, know it, too.

Join us for The Buddy Foundation's 20th Birthday Party, Thursday, Feb. 26, at DRINK, formerly, Alumni Club, 871 E. Algonquin Road, Schaumburg, so we can continue our mission to help animals like Sarge.

• The Buddy Foundation is a not-for-profit (501c3), all volunteer, no-kill animal shelter dedicated to the welfare of stray, abused, and abandoned cats and dogs. For more information, call The Buddy Foundation at (847) 290-5806 or visit www.thebuddyfoundation.org.