Onyx and Starlet went through hell together. Now rescuers have promised to keep them together.
Last month the pair of gentle Mastiffs were involved in a terrifying police chase through the streets of Los Angeles. The suspect was driving a stolen motor home with the innocent dogs along for the ride. Millions watched in horror as the life-threatening chase was broadcast on live TV.
At one point, Starlet leapt from the speeding vehicle through a broken window. Miraculously, she suffered only a broken paw and other minor injuries. Onyx remained inside the RV throughout the entire ordeal. He also avoided serious injuries as the RV careened into a palm tree and several cars.
“It was horrifying,” Terri Fox, president of Foxy and the Hounds told CBS News. “I think we all heard screams around the country because everyone was glued to their televisions and we could not believe she jumped. And she fell on her back. We thought, oh my gosh, her back must be broken.”
Luckily for Starlet, rescuers from Foxy and the Hounds were watching the drama unfold, and sprung to action as soon as she jumped from the RV. One of their volunteers located the frightened pooch later that evening and helped bring her to safety.
Onyx and Starlet were taken into the care of the Los Angeles Department of Animal Services. After nearly a month-long investigation into the incident, the dogs were released into the care of Terri Fox and her team.
Onyx and Starlet are two-years-old and each weigh about 90 pounds. They are currently enjoying life in a loving foster home as the rescue group sorts through their many adoption applications.
“They are incredible,” Fox says, “they are gentle giants. Cane Corsos and Mastiffs, by nature, are a great breed. They are big dogs. So we are very careful who we place them with. And we would like an experienced owner. They are incredible and they are very bonded. And we never separate bonded pairs — ever. So they will stay together forever.”
It looks like a bright future is on the horizon for Onyx and Starlet, but what about the woman who nearly cost them their lives? Julie Ann Rainbird, 52, was arrested on suspicion of eluding a police officer, hit-and-run, and assault. There is also microchip evidence showing that Rainbird is not the legal owner of the dogs.
She is being held on $100,000 bail.
H/T to CBS Los Angeles & The Los Angeles Times
Featured Image via Facebook/Foxy and the Hounds
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