The Junior Humane Society of Pensacola is seeking homes for 22 pit bull and bulldog mixes that were confiscated during a series of drug raids in Cantonment in April.
"This is the first time that pit bulls have been released to a local rescue," said Frankie Van Horn Harris, a director at the Junior Humane Society. "We are just trying to give them another chance."
Anyone interested in adopting a dog must undergo a screening process, which includes providing a letter from a veterinarian and a home inspection. Homes must have a fenced yard, Harris said.
The dogs cost $75, which pays for shots and spay or neutering.
Harris said the dogs were not used for fighting, but were chained on short leashes with little room to exercise. The dogs — ranging in age 10 months to 5 years old — were malnourished and ill when they arrived at the Escambia County Animal Shelter in April.
Some dogs couldn't walk and some had no teeth from gnawing on their chains and eating dirt. Most, however, have been nursed back to health, Harris said.
Harris warns prospective owners that the dogs need extra care.
"This isn't a dog you can just let loose in the back yard with your six Pekingese," she said. "They have lived under abusive conditions."
However, the dogs are playful, she said.
"We tested them yesterday with other dogs. They're responding well," Harris said. "They came out running and trying to play; they don't even know how to play. It's just amazing how they've responded to the love they've gotten while at the shelter."
Initially, a national rescue group planned to take the dogs, but it recently backed out.
The Escambia County Animal Shelter has worked with the Junior Humane Society to help the dogs.
While the nonprofit agency is responsible for the adoption process, the county animal shelter has worked to nurse the dogs back to health.
Volunteers are seeking help from anyone, from foster homes to volunteers to people who are willing to donate money.
McDavid resident Amanda Gifford is fostering "Old Man," an older pit bull that still has several sores and scratches and has lost most of his teeth. She hopes the emaciated dog gains weight.
"I think I've lost five pounds since this started," she said. "We've got more that will be put down if we can't find space for them."