“She was emaciated and covered in ticks,” shared Janet, the woman who eventually adopted the dog. “She was so filthy that the officer thought her coat was brown, and her swollen, deformed face made her appear blind.” Janet, who preferred to keep her last name private, added, “Her ears had been chewed off, a tragic sign she’d been used in dogfighting, likely as bait.”
The officer brought the dog to a nearby shelter, where volunteers from Mayday Pit Bull Rescue stepped in. Unable to take the dog themselves, they reached out to Janet and her husband to see if they could foster her. Despite their initial hesitation, the couple agreed.
“When my husband picked her up, he immediately took her to an emergency vet,” Janet said. The medical team worked tirelessly, but her prognosis was grim. “She had multiple tick-borne diseases, severe anemia, and wounds that reeked of decay. It was the worst the rescuers had ever seen.”
Despite the odds, the dog fought to live. Janet and her husband decided to give her a name before leaving her at the vet overnight. “When you rescue a dog, you want it to have a name—even if it doesn’t make it through the night,” Janet explained. “We named her Calista, meaning ‘the most beautiful.’”
To everyone’s amazement, Calista survived the first night, then another, and another. Janet and her husband visited her daily, forming a bond and offering her consistency during a tumultuous time. “We wanted her to feel loved and secure,” Janet shared. “The rescue team also came often, so she was surrounded by care.”
After extensive treatment, including reconstructive surgeries, Calista was finally healthy enough to leave the vet and move in with Janet and her husband. Initially, the couple intended only to foster her, as they already had a dog named Zazu. But when Calista was put up for adoption months later, Janet realized she couldn’t let her go.
“Everyone joked that we’d keep her, but we insisted it was temporary,” Janet laughed. “When she became available for adoption, I just couldn’t imagine her with anyone else. She belonged with us.”
Zazu and Calista became inseparable, with Zazu helping her learn how to play and enjoy life. “She didn’t know how to be a dog before,” Janet said. “Zazu showed her the ropes.”
Though Calista still battles health issues, including treatment for mast cell cancer, she has blossomed into a joyful and loving dog. “She loves life—food, people, other animals,” Janet said. “She’s overcome so much fear and is incredibly resilient.”
Known for her signature tail-wagging, Calista’s happiness is contagious. “She drums her tail on the wooden floors—it’s like she’s making music,” Janet said. “She’s the happiest dog I’ve ever known, and I feel so lucky to have her in our lives.”
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