Fort Bragg Army specialist gives formerly neglected pit bull a new life

Bruno, a year-old pit bull, had a hard start to life. Bruno was chained up early on, with little attention given to him. He was attacked by another dog at one point, losing one of his ears.

But during his stay at the SPCA, Bruno got his big break by going viral. He ripped the ear off a plush dog toy, making for a cute photo as the doll resembled him. Photos of Bruno and his toy got more than 52,000 shares on Facebook.

Bruno still has that toy, but he's laying on the couch with it these days instead of a cramped kennel.

Spc. Levi Pinnix said he was second in line for adopting Bruno, but found out Bruno's first potential adopter fell through. He ended up meeting Bruno and the two got acquainted pretty quickly.

"They opened the door and the first thing he does is run up to you with his tail wagging," Levi said. "After about 30 minutes of playing with him, I knew I was taking him home."

Levi said Bruno is more people-friendly than he expected. He's now enjoying life as an indoor dog and even came house-trained.

"At first I thought he was going to be skittish or timid around people, but he's such a welcoming, warm, loving dog to have gone through what he did," Levi said.

Pinnix, who turns 27 this month, is stationed at Fort Bragg and joined the Army in 2021. The Asheboro native was in Afghanistan for the withdrawal and takes comfort in Bruno, who is loved as he is.

"I have some buddies back home that want me to bring him so they can meet him," Levi said.