Meet Xena, an 8-year-old rescue pittie who loves snuggles, wearing onesies, ice cream, and the beach. She was rescued back in 2020 by some amazing people at The PAWerful Rescue after being found wandering the streets of downtown LA. Since I was younger, watching ‘Pitbulls and Parolees,’ I knew I wanted a pittie one day, seeing them as such sweet, misunderstood dogs. So when I stumbled upon her photo on Instagram, I just knew deep down she was meant to be mine. After adopting her in March of 2020, we started the journey of Xena learning how to be a dog and healing the scars left on her by the people who abused her and likely used her for fighting. She learned how to play with toys, fell in love with car rides, and underwent lots of training to help Xena feel more comfortable around other dogs. Eventually, Xena learned to play with other dogs, was able to go on hikes, and discovered her new favorite place: the beach. Xena has impacted my life in ways I could have never expected and has taught me unconditional love. She brings joy to everyone who meets her, including her little brother who was welcomed into the family in 2022. She instantly took on the role of mama bear and they have since become partners in crime.

Several months back, Xena began limping and has gradually became worse, with an abnormal gait showing up in both hind legs. After multiple vet visits and failed attempts to address her symptoms, I finally decided to do an MRI which showed intervertebral disc disease - bulging discs compressing her spine. She has gone from a dog who loved to go to the park, the beach, on walks, barking up a tree at squirrels to one who can hardly walk more than 10 minutes, struggles to get up from a seated position, and is now becoming incontinent. Medication and therapy is no longer helping and with her condition continuing to progress, the next step is spinal decompression surgery which her vet feels confident will help restore Xena’s quality of life and ability to move. Given the cost of this surgery, I am asking for help in giving Xena back the life she deserves.