Meet this Very Special Pet of the Week: Bellatrix
ZANESVILLE, OH – This Week’s Pet of the Week has had quite the journey and she still has a long road ahead of her.
Meet Bellatrix! Back in February of 2024 she was brought into the Animal Shelter Society after being left in a box for two weeks on the side of the road.
April Gibson, the executive director, said Bellatrix was severely underweight when she arrived and the vet staff worked diligently with her over the next few months.
She said recently, her staff had noticed that Bellatrix had developed a limp as well as some tenderness on her back leg.
“We knew that something with her legs wasn’t quite right,” Gibson explained. “So she has both of her knees and her back legs have cracked and we know that, being a Non-Profit, we have to think logically and be good stewards of our money on what we fight and what sometimes we can’t. Bellatrix is a fighter, I feel that she is a part of the community now because everybody knows her story, and we’re going to go ahead with the surgery.”
Gibson said they wanted to give Bellatrix the best possible shot at a normal life and thankfully, a vet office in Columbus has agreed to take on her case.
She said the Shelter was able to receive a small discount on the surgery, but there is still a balance due.
“Her rehab is going to be significant for us, it’s going to be handled here by our animal care manager, our chief vet, and vet assistants,” Gibson said. “We’re looking at probably a $5,000 repair, it would normally be at about $18,000, they’ve discounted it for us because we are 100% non profit and they appreciated the story with Bellatrix and they appreciated that we are a non-profit organization. But we’re going to do this for Bellatrix.”
Gibson said once the surgery is complete, Bellatrix will be facing around 16 weeks of rehab.
If you are interested in donating to help cover the cost of the surgery, you can reach out to the Animal Shelter Society at (740)-452-1077.
You can also donate via Venmo or PayPal @TheAnimalShelterSociety
