HSI San Francisco forms special bond with rescued pitbull

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco Special Agent Jill Brenny has been an animal lover all of her life.

From growing up with pets in her childhood home to living in her San Francisco Bay-area apartment with her French bulldog “Sophie,” animals have held and will continue to hold a special place in her life.

So it was no surprise when Brenny, who has been with ICE since 2009, saved the life of a neglected dog in September during “Project Southbound”, a national anti-gang enforcement operation targeting the Surenos criminal street gang in Clearlake, California.

It was when Brenny, along with two other special agents in the HSI Gang Unit, Clearlake police officers and a Lake County probation agent, were conducting their operation, that she first met “Honey.” The female pit bull was in bad shape as she was chained to an RV amid broken glass and trash. Visibly wounded and beaten up, Honey was barely able to move when the agents swarmed the area and she didn’t make much noise.

Brenny immediately felt sympathy for Honey and wanted to do something to help, she told her colleagues that there was no way she was going to leave without doing something to help the wounded dog.

“It broke my heart to see her like that,” Brenny said. “I told myself that there was no way I’m leaving this dog here.”

After animal control was called, Honey was taken to the local Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

Concerned that Honey could possibly be euthanized, Brenny wanted to take her in.  However, like most major cities, Bay Area apartments have strict regulations on the breed of pets tenants can have, so there was no way she could bring Honey home to join her and Sophie.

“I’ve never met a sweeter dog.  It saddens me that they discriminate against this breed,” Brenny said.  “I knew I couldn’t have her in my apartment. I even told myself that I could take her and just find another place to live.”

As much as Brenny wanted to keep Honey, that wasn’t a realistic option. She decided to take action by contacting friends and fellow dog lovers in hopes of finding a suitable home for her new friend, assuring the SPCA that once Honey was well enough to leave, she would have a place to live.

The response she was waiting for came from longtime friend, Hence Williams, a U.S. probation officer and EMT in Vernal, Utah. Williams, who already owned a rescued pit bull, agreed to meet Brenny in Reno, Nevada.

Brenny picked Honey up from the SPCA and made her way to Reno. Along the way, Brenny and the dog whose life she saved shared a memorable 6-hour ride that she won’t soon forget.

“I had to pull over because she kept getting in my lap and licking my face,” Brenny said.

Honey, who Williams decided to rename “Anna,” quickly bonded with her new owner and sister, “Cooper,” becoming inseparable almost immediately. Williams took Anna to his veterinarian for a check-up and it was ultimately decided that one of her legs needed to be amputated. The surgery to remove Anna’s leg took place on Nov. 19 and she has been recovering ever since.

Brenny keeps in touch with Anna’s progress through pictures and video chats with Williams. She is anxiously planning an upcoming trip within the month to visit Williams and Anna.

Whether it was fate that found Agent Brenny because she’s an avid animal lover, or a random coincidence that occurred while doing her everyday job for HSI, her efforts in taking the steps to help a wounded animal in need saved the dog’s life and gave Brenny a lifelong friend in Anna. 

Said Brenny: “We all get pretty wrapped up in doing our job so the animals tend to get overlooked. That is something that I hope we can start paying more attention to.”