How Jelly the Rescue Pup Got Healthy and Found Her Forever Home

When Jelly, a two-year-old pitbull mix, was found running around a park in upper Manhattan, she was in rough shape: “She had severe dermatitis, her ears were badly infected, most of her fur was missing, and she looked like she had been a mom a few times over,” says her foster mom Laurie Pesqueira. After being surrendered as a stray to the Manhattan ACC, she also contracted kennel cough, which put her on the list to be euthanized.

Luckily, Rebound Hounds, a rescue organization in New York City, spotted her on the list and decided to take her in. They placed her with Pesqueira, who ended up fostering Jelly for two years. Here, Pesqueira shares how Jelly got her health back on track—with the help of Ollie—and finally found her forever home.

Why did you want to foster Jelly?

I have a lot of experience fostering dogs (I’ve been volunteering with Rebound Hounds for years) so when Karina, one of the co-founders asked me, I couldn’t say no. I think she asked me because Jelly had a lot of issues and she knew I could help her.

What’s Jelly’s personality like?

Jelly is a fun and sweet girl. She loves to be loved. When she first arrived, she was nervous and very cautious. She had a difficult time trusting. But as time went on, she opened up like a butterfly. I don’t think she will ever trust 100 percent but she’s definitely at 99 percent.

What are some of Jelly’s favorite things to do?

Jelly loves her walks and also loves to run alongside my bicycle. But she’s also very happy to be lazy, too. In the morning, she can stay in bed for hours before she decides to get up and go outside.

What needed to be done to rehabilitate her so she could be adopted?

She needed antibiotics and medicated baths three times a week to treat her dermatitis and infected ears. What we didn’t know at the time was that she also had pancreatitis. We found out because she was having bloody stools, shedding a lot, and just wasn’t acting like herself. Pancreatitis can be controlled with diet, so we tried many different foods. She would be ok for a few weeks but ultimately, she would get sick again and need to be put on meds.

How did Jelly respond to the Ollie food?

Jelly loves the taste of Ollie, but the best thing that came from her eating it was that her pancreatitis symptoms came a lot less frequently. What used to happen every few weeks or so on regular food, only occurred perhaps once since she’s been on it. It’s really made a difference.

Has Jelly been adopted yet?

Yes, Jelly was recently adopted by a lovely couple in Hawthorne, NY. Her new parents submitted their adoption application exactly two years to the day after Jelly was scheduled to be euthanized (her euthanization date was 3/12/16). It was meant to be!

The Ollie blog is devoted to helping pet parents lead healthier lives with their pups. If you want to learn more about our fresh, human-grade food, check out MyOllie.com.