JESSY (was TESSA)

Jessy (Tessa) came into rescue as a 6-mo old puppy with bilateral hip dysplasia. She started life in less than great conditions in Iowa. She lived in a kennel with little human contact. She was bought at 16-wks old for $350 via the Internet and shipped to Idaho. Tessa was born 8/21/2005, her sire is Toshas King and dam is Lady Daisy. When she arrived in ID she was too thin, and weak in rear end. The vet suggested high quality food, socialization and a wait and see approach. Tessa began to limp badly and was confirmed by x-rays to have almost non-existent hip sockets. Our rescue group became aware of this case via the VCA breeder referral. When we contacted the family they wanted help to find a puppy the right way. They had concluded they did not have the thousands of dollars needed to fix Tessa's hips and they were going to put her to sleep. We asked that they allow us to take Tessa and see if we could find funding for surgery. Tessa arrived in Salt Lake March 13 with help from doberman and GSD rescue. Tessa quickly showed that she was a puppy and loved to steal slippers and carry socks around. She gave the big dogs a run for their money but after exercise it was clear that she was in pain. Tessa has a great personality, is smart, and adorable as they come.

The Vizsla community stepped up to the plate in a big way. Individuals from the VTalk lists sent in donations and funds were secured from the Vizsla Rescue Fund and the Vizsla Club of America. Now Tessa had to do the hard part. On March 30 she underwent FHO surgery on both hips at Cottonwood Animal Hospital in SLC. Cottonwood also agreed to give us a 20% discount for the surgery and they provided other services at no charge. She spent just two days in the hospital and then came home to the Dowdells for recovery. After 10 days of walks with a sling under her tummy she began leash walks. By April 13th she was sure she was all better even if she looked like Franken-baby. Tessa had a home waiting to adopt her prior to having her surgery and her new family was anxious to take her home. So on April 15, Tessa joined forces with Molly, her big sister V, and with Morgan and Vicki. She again became an Idaho resident with a few months of physical therapy ahead of her -- and she got a new name to go with her new life of luxury.

Update Jun 2006: Jessy is doing well at physical therapy. She has acupuncture, massage therapy, stretching exercises and working on the water treadmill at her appointments. She is gaining weight, getting bigger, and showing off her skills at running and playing with Molly. She can now jump on the couch and she appears to no longer be in any pain. She runs like the wind and loves to tease Molly into games. She is a master couch snuggle bunny and dearly loved. The family is grateful to all those who helped her get the surgery. Jessy is living a charmed life and will be a happy Vizsla girl forever.

Special thanks to Kevin -- you are her guardian angel. Our prayers are with you in the war zone.

Update Sep 2006: Jessy showed off her new hips as well as her social skills at the 7th annual Utah-Idaho Vizsla Rescue Picnic.... new pics

Dec 2010: Jessy is spending a few weeks with her Auntie Penny while her mom recovers from back surgery. Except for the scars on her hips you would never know this dog had ever been in pain and it is a joy to watch her run and play with the other dogs. The weather hasn't been conducive to much outside running but she is getting along fabulously with Zoe & Eddy. (More new pics)

May 2011: Jessy found a new forever home in northeastern WA where she is little sister to 11-yr old vizsla, Chester, and older-but-littler sis to Cody the golden retriever. Read her new story here.

Jan 2012 : Here are 2 pics I snapped of Jessy this evening. She loves to sleep on her back - usually with one or more legs up in the air. Taking the first pic woke her up but she stayed in place for one more.

Visit the Photo Gallery for more photos of Jessy.