BESSIE -- ONE TOUGH DOG



Bessie, a lovely young border collie mix, was the most severely abused dog we'd ever seen. She was found starving and hardly able to breathe because of the buckshot pellets in her chest. Yet as she struggled for life, she valiantly continued to nurse four tiny puppies.

We didn't think she'd make it through the night. Two liters of fluid had to be drained from her lungs. But even in her darkest hours, she wagged her tail at the doctors trying to save her.

Bessie needed surgery: A portion of her liver had entered her chest. The operation was a success, but afterward she developed severe pneumonia. She was rushed to Albuquerque, where surgeons removed two lobes of one lung.

The operation was a success, but Bessie's medical expenses came to $3,500. Thanks to a newspaper story about her plight, readers contributed even more. This enabled us to create Bessie's Desperate Animal Medical Fund in her honor, to help others who need emergency care.