On March 16th of this year, a maintenance man for a Newark apartment building was emptying the garbage chute when a bag suddenly move. Inside was a pit bull mix nearing its death.

Rushed to local animal society in Newark, staff gave around the clock care to help bring the pup back to life. Because of his good fortune (and serendipitous timing), the dog was named Patrick – bringing new meaning to the term “luck of the Irish.”

Kisha Curtis, 27, was arraigned on charges that she tied the dog to a balcony railing and left the state for more than a week. Her mother, Tamie Curtis, said her daughter had left the dog tied up hoping that someone else would adopt it when she moved out of the building in mid-March. ”Somebody gave that dog to Kisha,” her mother said, “and she couldn’t take care of it.”