MANKATO — She’s got urine-stained paws, a body so skeletal it looks like she hasn’t eaten in months and she pulls a little to the left.

But you won’t find a more lovable, energetic and hungry little pet than Jenny, the Boston terrier who showed up at the Mankato impound Thursday looking a few dog days from death.

“They don’t come along like this every day,” said Nicollet Veterinary Clinic vet Gala Beckendorf.

Jenny was emaciated. Her ribs, spine and hip bones clearly visible through her black coat. She’s constantly looking for food, and because she was caged for the better part of her estimated two years of life, the fur on her paws and chest are stained with the urine and feces in which she was forced to sleep.

Her caged life also appears to have ingrained in her a compulsion to spin in circles, probably the only movement she could manage in a pet crate. She always turns to the left.

The city impound called the Blue Earth/Nicollet County Humane Society and volunteers rushed to Jenny’s aid. From there, Jenny’s welfare was secured by a fund set up to pay the veterinary costs of animals in need of rescue.

It’s called the SNAP fund (Save Neglected and Abused Pets.) Donors and volunteers have given funds to help animals that do not have owners who could pay vet’s bills.

Using the SNAP fund, Beckendorf and fellow vet Doug Schauberger took Jenny in. They drew blood and tested her for heartworm. They conducted other tests as well and gave her a bath, during which she tried to drink the soapy bath water because she was so thirsty.

When the vets weighed Jenny, she tallied about 71⁄2 pounds. Normally, a 2-year-old Boston terrier should weigh nearly twice that amount.

On an index used to assess a dog’s condition, the ranking system runs 1-9 with 1 being severely malnourished and 9 being severely obese.

“I’d say she’s a zero,” Beckendorf said.

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Jenny is how undaunted her spirit appears to be.

When strangers or other dogs approach, Jenny — with big bulging eyes, one grayish blue, one brown — greets them with no apprehension. She’ll first search their hands for food, let them pet her, then she’ll continue her hunt for whatever scraps of sustenance she can find.

And when she takes food from a person’s hand, she does do gently, not ravenously or sloppily.

“She’s absolutely bubbly,” Beckendorf said. “She came in with that attitude.”

A foster family has been found for Jenny.

Getting Jenny back to a normal weight will take several weeks. Simply shoving an entire bag of food at her won’t work.

For now, they’re feeding canned food to her gradually. Normally, vets prefer high-quality dry dog food, but in Jenny’s case, she could use the added moisture of canned food.

The vets say Jenny is going to be OK.

“The odds are definitely in her favor,” Shauberger said.



To be considered for foster care for other dogs in need of housing, call the Blue Earth⁄Nicollet County Humane Society at 625-6373.