A tale of survival and compassion marks National Pit Bull Awareness Month

The abuse suffered by pit bulls in this country is horrific. From the torture chamber that was Michael Vick's Bad Newz Kennel to the street thugs who burn and hang, beat and starve them in Philadelphia and beyond, these dogs  have tragically become the outlet for the evil that lies within too many humans.

In the world of pit bulls there are far too many tragic stories and not enough happy endings.

But here we are in the middle of National Pit Bull Awareness Month (this Saturday is Pit Bull Awareness Day) and along comes a special story of survival and compassion.

It happened in the mountains above Phoenix last Friday. Andi Davis was hiking on a deserted trail when she came upon a half-dead dog. He was lying on the ground, riddled with bullets.

Someone had shot the two-year-old pit bull and left it to die in the middle of nowhere.

Davis was initially apprehensive about approaching the dog but he lifted his head when she gave him a drink and she did what she felt she had to do: picked up the 47-pound dog and began her climb back down the mountain, CNN reports.

"It will be OK," Davis kept telling the dog as she slowly picked her way down the path. Every so often she would stop, give him another drink, then stand up again and keep going. "At first she was shaking because she was scared," said Bretta Nelson, spokeswoman for the Arizona Humane Society. "Then she was shaking because of the weight of him." Eventually the dog stopped moving.

it took Davis an hour to complete the journey, her arms aching, Nelson said. Davis's husband and daughter met her at the bottom and they took the dog to the Arizona Humane Society, where veterinarians examined him.

Doctors found an open abdominal wound, bullet fragments near his spinal cord and a bullet in the middle of his neck, Nelson said.

The Davis family named him Elijah and brought him into their home as a foster.

As for the perpetrator, Nelson said it's unlikely any investigation will be conducted to find the person who injured Elijah since there isn't a clear timetable on the incident and no witnesses have come forward.

Look for an event celebrating America's historic "nanny" dog this weekend.

New Jersey Aid for Animals, which helps rescue and rehome abused pit bulls in Camden, is hosting an event at Manny's Last Chance Saloon (221 White Horse Pike) in Chesilhurst, NJ on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

There will be a pitty kissing booth, games and prizes, calendar sales, information on lw cost spay/neuter and plenty of dogs for adoption (your leashed dog is welcome too.).

Go meet homeless pit bulls and pit mixes at your local shelter Chester County SPCA, PSPCA,  ACCT, PAWS, Operation Ava.Delaware County SPCA,

(Photo/CNN)