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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsDumplin’s adoption story began after tornadoes struck Spalding County, Georgia, on January 12, 2023. She was moved with other displaced dogs to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center in Ohio, treated for heartworm disease, underwent removal of an injured hind leg, and spent the latter part of treatment in a foster-to-adopt home. The Columbus-area Stefanik family adopted her on August 21, two days after she was cleared of heartworms, and renamed her Billie.
The account below follows the chronology documented by the ASPCA in its October 25, 2023 feature. It describes events in 2023 and is not a current adoption listing or a verified report of later changes.
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The tornado response that changed Dumplin’s path
On January 12, tornadoes tore through Spalding County, about an hour south of Atlanta. The local animal shelter contacted the ASPCA for help with animals affected by the storms. The response had two practical goals: provide temporary shelter for unowned and displaced pets, and move other animals to shelters outside the damaged communities so local facilities could make room for incoming animals.
More than 40 dogs from the affected area were transported to the ASPCA Cruelty Recovery Center (CRC) in Ohio. The CRC provided medical and behavioral support intended to prepare the dogs for adoption. Dumplin was among those arrivals. She reached Ohio in late March and was described in the ASPCA story as a 40-pound, heartworm-positive dog.
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That transfer is an important part of her story. Dumplin was not found through an ordinary shelter search unrelated to the storm. Her route to a permanent home began with a disaster-relief operation that separated animals from an overwhelmed local system, gave them room for treatment and rehabilitation, and then connected them with adopters outside the immediate impact area.
Medical treatment and the move through foster care
Starting heartworm treatment in Ohio
Dumplin needed treatment for heartworm disease after arriving at the CRC. Heartworm treatment is a veterinary process, not a substitute for an over-the-counter preventive, and the ASPCA account does not provide a detailed drug schedule or clinical prognosis for her case. What it does establish is that treatment continued across two foster homes before she was cleared.
Adam Whisman, the CRC’s Manager of Care and Enrichment, fostered Dumplin during the first part of that treatment. The story identifies Whisman as someone who had worked in animal rescue for three years and who usually fostered cats. Dumplin nevertheless settled into his home comfortably, and he reported that she was friendly with his cats.
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Dumplin also had a significant orthopedic history. Her hind left paw had previously been amputated after an earlier injury failed to heal properly. She later needed the entire leg removed. The ASPCA account reports Whisman’s observation of her recovery rather than presenting a general medical claim about three-legged dogs: “She recovered quickly, running around, and soon adjusted to having just three legs.”
Whisman also called her “the most amazing dog ever.” Those comments describe what he saw while caring for Dumplin. They do not replace an individual veterinarian’s assessment, but they show how quickly she appeared to resume ordinary activity in that foster setting.
Foster-to-adopt care completes the treatment period
A family in the Columbus area found Dumplin’s Petfinder profile and volunteered to foster her through the second half of her heartworm treatment, with the intention of adopting. This arrangement let the family learn about her behavior in a home while her medical care continued. Leah Finstad, identified as the CRC’s Senior Manager of Foster and Placement, said Dumplin was one of four dogs adopted by their fosters after heartworm treatment.
Foster-to-adopt does not mean that a dog is medically cleared immediately or that adoption is guaranteed on the first day. In Dumplin’s case, the family took responsibility for the latter part of treatment and waited for the clearance that preceded the legal adoption.
Why the Stefaniks chose Dumplin
A second dog after losing Monty
Nick Stefanik said he and his wife, Gina, had lost their 14-year-old pit bull, Monty. Their remaining dog, Petey, seemed sad, so the family began looking online for another pit bull. They were drawn to Dumplin’s profile because it described her as laid-back, a “couch potato,” and fond of cuddling.
Nick explained the appeal this way: “Her description said she’s laid back and a couch potato who loves to cuddle and that’s exactly what we were looking for—a second dog for Petey to cuddle with.” The family’s decision was therefore based on a specific household fit: they wanted a companion for Petey and a dog whose described temperament matched a quieter home life.
Meeting the family in June
Nick, Gina and their eight-year-old daughter, Mo, took Dumplin home in June 2023. Their first meeting with Petey was deliberately uneventful. Gina said, “When they met, they sniffed each other and were neutral, which was the best sign in the world.” Neutral body language at an introduction gave the family a workable starting point, rather than a dramatic instant bond or a forced interaction.
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The ASPCA story says the two dogs then joined the household routine: the family walked both dogs daily, and the dogs napped together. Those are the family’s reported experiences, not a claim that every dog introduction or every three-legged dog will proceed in the same way.
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Clearance, adoption and Dumplin’s new name
The dates that completed the process
The account says Dumplin was cleared of heartworms on August 19, 2023. The Stefaniks adopted her on August 21, two days later. That sequence shows why the foster period mattered: the family had already welcomed her into their home, but permanent adoption followed the documented medical clearance.
After adoption, the family renamed her Billie. Mo had studied Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” at camp and suggested the name. She described Billie as “really cute and amazing to snuggle with.” Mo also interpreted Billie’s bark at visitors as a request to be petted.
Life with Petey
Billie’s home life, as described by the family, centered on companionship rather than a special program or mobility equipment. She walked with Petey each day and rested beside him. The account says she adjusted to having three legs; it does not say that she needed a mobility aid, and it does not recommend one for other dogs.
Nick said pit bulls had long been part of his and Gina’s lives and expressed a commitment to adoption: “There’s such a need to give them good homes and we’ve had such great experiences—why would we adopt anything else?” His statement explains the family’s broader motivation without turning Billie’s individual experience into a guarantee about every pit bull’s temperament or every adoption match.
What the ASPCA account establishes—and what it does not
The October 25, 2023 ASPCA feature establishes a specific chronology: tornadoes in Spalding County; emergency sheltering and relocation; transport of more than 40 dogs to the Ohio CRC; Dumplin’s late-March arrival; heartworm treatment; a prior paw amputation followed by full-leg removal; two stages of foster care; heartworm clearance on August 19; and adoption on August 21. It also records the Stefanik family’s observations about Billie and Petey after she entered their home.
It does not provide a later health update, a current adoption status, a complete veterinary record, or a population-level statistic about heartworm, tornado-displaced pets or three-legged dogs. The safest reading is therefore personal and time-specific: Billie’s reported recovery and family life belong to this documented 2023 account.
How Dumplin’s rescue fits the CRC’s wider work
Organizational figures provide context but should not be confused with Dumplin’s individual case. The ASPCA’s 2023 annual report, published in 2024, says the organization provided more than $2.4 million in disaster-response grants over the preceding three years. The same report says more than 600 animals were helped at the Cruelty Recovery Center in 2023.
The figure of more than 40 transported dogs refers specifically to the Spalding County tornado response described in the 2023 Dumplin story. It is not a national total, and the annual-report figures do not indicate that all animals received the same treatment, moved through the same foster pathway, or had the same outcome as Billie.
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Dumplin’s rescue involved temporary shelter and relocation, so her story naturally raises a preparedness question: what should a household be ready to move with an animal? The following checklist is general planning guidance, not a list of supplies the ASPCA says were used in Dumplin’s rescue.
Build a portable pet emergency kit
- Store several days of food and water in containers that can be carried quickly.
- Include a secure leash, harness or carrier appropriate to the animal’s size and behavior.
- Keep medications, veterinary instructions and copies of vaccination or identification records together in a waterproof folder.
- Add bowls, waste bags, basic cleaning supplies and a familiar comfort item if space allows.
- Label the kit so another person can identify it during an evacuation.
Make the plan usable under pressure
Check the kit periodically for expired food, changed medications and documents that no longer match the animal. Practice locating the carrier or leash and loading the animal without searching for supplies. A plan that is easy to carry and quick to find is more useful than one that exists only as a list.
Expect animals to react differently after displacement
Temporary shelter, transport and unfamiliar people can change an animal’s behavior. Keep identification current, use secure equipment during moves, and tell shelter or foster staff about medical needs and known triggers. Dumplin’s account shows why a foster home can be valuable: it provided a stable setting while treatment continued and allowed a prospective family to observe how she fit into daily life.
Why Billie’s story resonates
Billie’s path was not a single rescue moment. It was a chain of handoffs: a county shelter seeking disaster help, a transfer to Ohio, veterinary care, a first foster home, a second foster-to-adopt home, medical clearance, and a family prepared to make the arrangement permanent. Each stage addressed a different barrier to adoption.
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Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The final picture is modest and concrete. A dog once described as a 40-pound, heartworm-positive tornado survivor became Billie, a three-legged companion who walked with Petey, napped beside him and greeted visitors with a bark her young owner understood as a request for affection. That is the outcome the ASPCA account documents: not a promise about every rescue, but one carefully recorded journey from displacement to belonging.
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