There's a neglected pit bull in our house.

Update, 5/20/08: Maybel[le] (apparently, Brandi & I weren't on the same page when we picked out her name; it wasn't until we began disagreeing over how the name is pronounced that we realized I thought it was Maybelle, and Brandi thought it was Maybel) isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Do we feel overwhelmed, and has this overtaken (and is it likely to continue to overtake) our lives? Yes. But are we prepared to send her to a shelter, likely to her death, because of that? No. Yesterday was a rough day for her, and she'll probably be here for at least the next few weeks, as she recovers from the ear and dental surgeries she had to have yesterday and as we wait for her heat cycle to finish so that she can be spayed. The vet visit made even clearer what a rough time this poor girl has had, and we are the people with whom she is most comfortable and the home in which she feels safest right now, so unless something major happens to make this situation impossible or a dream foster family shows up, this is where she belongs while she recovers. It isn't ideal, and everyone in this house--whether human, canine, or feline--is feeling the stress of it, but it won't last forever. And this dog deserves our help and our love. I realize that I haven't even told you how we ended up with her or much about her yet. I'll do that soon.
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We've been calling her Maybelle. She's been here since Saturday night. And we're not yet sure how long she'll be staying here. At this point, Saturday morning may have to be our cutoff point. If we still have her by then, we'll have to reevaluate and make some really difficult decisions at that time. We're desperately trying to find her a foster home or a place in a rescue shelter because although she is a lovely, affectionate, devoted, completely nonaggressive dog who has so easily taken to us--and whom we loved instantly--our hope that we could foster her long-term ourselves, while looking for a permanent home for her, took a serious beating yesterday because of certain circumstances here. We're taking her to see a vet today because of terrible infections in both ears and a hematoma in one and to find out how soon she can be spayed (she's currently in heat, at the end of her cycle, we think--or hope; it seems likely that she was being used and abused by a backyard breeder). It's been a draining, heartbreaking couple days. We look at her sweet face and big, trusting eyes and injured, ill body, and we just sob at the thought of not only saying goodbye to her but also possibly sending her to a place that we're not sure will find her a home. We're exhausted. Again. Long stories all around. More later.