Help Lost Rescue Dog Get Better After Coming Home

Hestia is suspected to have been born in a puppy mill, was kept mostly in a crate and without attention by her original buyers, and waited for months in a rescue before being placed with a family who returned her because they weren't able to give her the attention she needed. She was traumatized and struggled with a lot of the behavior issues common to dogs rescued from bad situations - withdrawn and fearful, but sweet. She finally went to her forever home, a professional dog trainer with background in rescue, aggression, and veterinary medicine, and went to live on a multi-acre property in the Ozark mountains.

Hestia went missing at the end of 2020. She is suspected to have been picked up by people known to sweep that area for pretty or purebred dogs to sell at a profit out-of-state.

Over the next 6 months, she was searched for extensively on foot, by car, and eventually with dogs; ads were posted online and in person; all local dog businesses were called; and Bella put e-mail alerts up for every rescue in the state and neighboring states, looking at every shepherd dog in every rescue. There was no evidence of her.

Six months later, a video of her on the other side of the country went viral.

She was found so skinny and malnourished that her fur is brittle and naked in patches. She was so hungry she tried to eat dirt and objects. She had thick painful mats that had to be safely cut off, and there are scars over her face and body that suggest she's been seriously injured by a person or another dog. The officers that evaluated her said that she cowered and refused to look at anyone who approached, and she had to have a leash slipped over her head after being backed into a corner.

She was now terrified of dogs and reactive to them. She has severe resource guarding and redirected onto and bit Bella while the pair were being approached by Bella’s other dog. She doesn't want to be approached by strangers and cowers. She was afraid of loud noises, and had profound separation anxiety.

Hestia was transported 1,500 miles across the country back home, where she will spend the rest of her life, and immediately began treatment. She’s been through a lot and needs a great deal of veterinary and behavioral care to recover.

Every donation helps. I am so grateful for every person who helped this be possible. 

Photos and videos of her journey are posted at https://www.facebook.com/Hestia-Lost-and-Found-111018607898908/