Van Gogh, a boxer-pit-bull mix, lost his left ear in a dog-fighting ring (Credit: Happily Furever After Rescue)

Jaclyn Gartner, the founder of Happily Furever After Rescue in Connecticut, was scrolling through photos of shelter pups last summer. A seven-year-old dog named Van Gogh caught her eye. The former stray pooch had been used as bait in a dog fighting ring. His left ear was so damaged that it had to be surgically removed.