This morning my girlfriend got an email from a co-worker who yesterday found an extremely injured Pit Bull. Thankfully she went into action and did what any wonderful person would do. I’m not going to detail it anymore than that, as you can just read her amazing email (below) that she sent out on Zena’s behalf. If you’d like to donate, anything at all, towards Zena’s care: Please call it directly into the veterinarian’s office that is listed below. Big thanks to HyunJoo for being an amazing person, and thank you to anyone that will donate and/or spread this story. Zena needs all the help that she can get!

Dear Friends, I need your help.

On Friday at 6:30am, while walking Lucy and Buttons, I found a 7 month old Pit Bull-mix that had been hit by a car. I don’t know how long she was on the street, but her body was frozen cold, her nose and mouth bleeding, and car marks and blood all over her body. When I knelt and talked to her, she picked up her broken body and walked towards me.

With amazing guidance from the Eagle Rock emergency room (I think she was my guardian angel that morning! Thank you “Z”!), I got her to the emergency room. The staff on call did a diagnostic of her free of charge, and told me to get her started at Gateway (my vet) as they were going to be open very soon. By this time it was 7:30am. Zena was such a trooper. She was broken, in every way possible, but wagged her tail when the emergency room vet touched her, and laid down submissively in the waiting room, relieved to be in a warm, dry place.

Dr. Jimerson and the wonderful staff at Gateway quickly took her in. It turned out that she had a broken bone in her face, a broken wrist, one collapsed lung, nerve damage to her right front shoulder and leg, and possible brain injury. We believe she was hit, very hard, to her front right side (face and shoulder). I left her in Dr. Jimerson’s hands and thank God, as the hours passed, she was getting stronger and stronger. I went back to visit her Friday afternoon and was told that her front leg had a fracture on the wrist that should heal nicely with a cast, the bone in her face that had broken was also a clean fracture and will heal by itself, she had not fallen into a coma (which was what Dr. Jimerson was afraid of, given she was hit in the head), and she was alert and responding very well to the medication. The best news: She would most likely heal without any surgery and the nerve damage did not seem permanent hence we would not have to amputate her leg. What a miracle.

Zena is currently at Gateway for the weekend so they can continue to monitor her. If all goes as planned this weekend, she will get a cast on Monday which I will then bring her home with me. She will be with me for 6-8 weeks or until her leg is fully healed.

I feel so humbled and privileged to have come across Zena. Having 2 dogs of my own, I hope kind strangers would also extend their love if they are ever in such a awful situation. I have a gut feeling that Zena will make a full recover and have a thriving and full life. She has power in her eyes and I believe that this traumatic experience will only make her stronger.

I am emailing to you to ask for your help. As you can imagine, the financial cost will be high and steady. I have committed to paying for everything up to Monday’s treatment, but am asking for donations to ensure that Zena makes a 100% recovery over the next 2 months. Specifically, she needs weekly visits to the vet for her cast, another series of x-rays, and pain medication/vitamins/antibiotics. My goal is to hopefully raise $500. If you would like and can contribute to “Zena’s Holiday Fund,” please contact Gateway at 323-256-5840, tell them that you are calling to make a donation, and give them my name (HyunJoo Lee). They can take your card number over the phone. You can also drop off/mail them checks to: 431 West Los Feliz Rd., Glendale CA 91204. Please write “donation for HyunJoo Lee” at the memo line.

I also need your help find Zena a forever home. She is an amazing animal who is extremely affectionate. And obviously, she is a fighter. She is around 7-8 months old, 47 lbs (meaning she will be a big dog), and may be a Pit Bull/Labrador-mix. If you know of anyone who can commit to her and ensuring that she has a healthy, active, and fulfilling life, please contact me.

Attached are some pictures of her. She looks so much better now because the swelling in her face has gone down considerably. I will send updates and pictures to donors so please let me know if you make a donation.

Please spread the word to your friends and networks. Zena, Lucy, Buttons, and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. Happy holidays!!