It’s been almost a year since Rosabella was rescued and today the dog couldn’t be better. Thinking back to the situation in which she was rescued, her story is miraculous.
We are in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the third coldest state in the United States. Ruff Start Rescue (RSR) is active here, a non-profit organization dedicated to rescuing stray, abandoned, abused or handed over animals.
It’s a day in early December 2021 and the perceived temperature is 13 degrees below zero. Breanna Jensen, an RSR volunteer, is behind the wheel of her car, convinced that the last few weeks of the year would be a rest for her and the dogs she has temporarily fostered.
Breanna probably would have been right if she hadn’t turned down an alley; or if she hadn’t noticed a cage on the ground in that alley.
Inside that cage was Rosabella, visibly shaken, undernourished and close to freezing. She “she would be dead in two days at the most, the way she was tanned”, he recounted the woman. Which literally saved the dog’s life.
Rosabella is immediately taken to a vet; she’s a dozen pounds under weight and riddled with infections. From the shape of her paws it is inferable that she has spent most of her life in a doghouse. Despite all the ill-treatment suffered by her, already in the clinic she shows a lively and affectionate character.
As soon as her story became public, one person applied to adopt her.
The procedure was successful and about a year after that person did he know at RSR that things are booming. Rosabella has settled in perfectly in her new home and has bonded with both Lucy the dog and Scott the cat, her new owner’s pets.
“Lucy and I fell in love with her instantly; she’s sweet, happy, curious, follows us everywhere. She’s grown a lot, healthy and very active. She loves walks and car rides – can’t wait to find out where our next adventure will take us. It’s fun to have her in my life,” says her adopter.
Who knows if even this year in Saint Paul there will be another miracle just before Christmas.
