I've had a Pittie wild life!
A very emaciated Jessie was surrendered to a shelter in Arkansas in 2023. During her time at the shelter, Jessie was placed on the euthanasia list three separate times because she had not received any interest from any potential adopters. Luckily, the team at the shelter saw something special in Jessie.
When she was placed on the euthanasia list the third time and still had no potential adopters, the shelter team went above and beyond to place Jessie at the Best Friends Center in Bentonville, AR. We met Jessie in Bentonville in March 2024 and it was love at first sight! When we adopted Jessie, she was heartworm positive. To give her the best chance of beating the heartworms, we had to keep Jessie separate from the other animals and had to keep her activity level extremely low. Jessie fought hard and was able to overcome the heartworms! The day that Jessie had been waiting for had arrived — she was finally allowed to begin gradually increasing her activities!
Shortly thereafter, while giving Jessie a nice belly rub, we noticed a lump in Jessie’s belly. After a series of medical exams and tests, we learned that Jessie had a medical sponge left inside of her belly. Thankfully, Jessie received exceptional care. After a complicated surgery, the sponge was successfully removed! Throughout the surgery and the recovery time that followed, Jessie maintained an incredibly positive attitude.
We were also concerned about whether Jessie would need medical intervention for her bowed front legs. Jessie visited an orthopedic surgeon who conducted a full evaluation of Jessie’s legs and the impact that they might have on her quality of life. Amazingly, Jessie has incredible range of motion and flexibility in her front legs! The orthopedic surgeon determined that no intervention is needed at this time because Jessie is doing great just the way she is! Having tackled all of these challenges in the first few years of her life, Jessie is ready to tackle more fun challenges, like getting to know all of her new friends here at Heritage Haven!
