Abused dog gets second lease on life with new family

HAYMARKET, VA -- An abused and abandoned dog is getting a new lease on life after she was rescued by a family who knows a thing or two about heartache.

Violet was probably the worst case photographer Shelley Castle had ever seen.

"I really just questioned whether she was going to make it or not," Castle says.

Castle is a photographer for Mutts Matter Rescue, an organization that saved Violet after she was found on a roadside.

Violet was abused, abandoned and weighed only 56 pounts, which is scant for a Mastiff.

The group placed Violet with Debbie Gretz, a woman who lost her beloved Mastiff Baya to illness in January.

The two bonded quickly, giving Violet the confidence to fight for her second chance.

Today, Gretz says the dog has the strength to walk up the stairs, to play outside and should eventually be able to frolic with her housemates.

Letters of support and donations poured in allowing Violet to get the best of care, care that helped heal her wounds.

Despite the horrors she surely endured, Violet likes people especially the woman who nursed her back to life.

"So she was one of the worst cases I've seen," Gretz says. "It's just incredibly rewarding to see them recover from that and to know that you got to be a part of that."