Bess is a 12-year-old Treeing Walker Hound. She was at the top of the urgent list after being brought to a high kill pound in West Virginia as a stray. Bess was taken in as a foster through Paws Across Pittsburgh. After 7 months in foster and 2 “almost” adoptions, her foster took her to visit a senior dog sanctuary. Bess didn’t show any interest in taking treats or playing there and seemed nervous all over again. Her foster couldn’t stand to leave her there after it took her 6 long months to finally relax at their house.  Having 3 special needs dogs already, Bess’s vetting was the only thing that had her foster on the fence about adopting her. It was then that the LOVS program was created and Bess became the first official LOVS dog! The LOVS Program (Lifetime of Veterinary Support) is a donation-supported program that will support Bess with her veterinary expenses throughout her lifetime. 

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Bess’ mom says, “Bess chose me as her human and I couldn’t be more honored to be the one that gets to love her for the rest of her life.”

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She is extremely food driven. Bess gets bursts of energy and randomly starts tossing toys around the living room. She also demands that her fur siblings play with her by barking in their faces (even when they are sound asleep!) Bess immediately got very close to her foster mom and still sometimes paces when she’s in a different room and lays outside the bathroom door while she takes a bath. They often joke and say that Bess is like Sheldon from the TV show “Big Bang Theory”, as she can only relax and be herself when she’s following her routine.

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A Note from Bess:  Although it appears that I used to hunt, I am completely embracing my retirement. I have 3 fur-siblings now and one of them is a senior too. He has taught me to be an expert napper. I love napping next to him.  I love agitating my 2 younger fur siblings and joining in on their play sessions, but sometimes they get wild, so I just bark at them from mom’s lap instead. As I’ve gotten older my hips have gotten weak, but I don’t let that stop me from doing things. I just get a running start before I jump onto the furniture and sit down when I hear the other dogs running up behind me, so I can’t get knocked down. My mom tries to shorten my walks because of my hips, but I put an end to that by refusing to walk back up the driveway until we’ve gone on a FULL walk! 

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​Bess loves to bark! When she is happy or wants attention, she shows it by yelling. She loves going to the park and on walks to get all kinds of good “sniffs” and taking naps. Bess loves all treats but isn’t a huge fan of toys. She will pick up a toy and throw it occasionally but doesn’t carry them around or tug. She LOVES soup bones and long-lasting chews (even though she is missing most of her teeth!).

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When Bess came into rescue she had to get multiple teeth pulled and 2 masses removed. She tested Lyme positive and has weak hips. She does get chronic UTI’s and has some urinary urgency/frequency at times. Bess does have some special needs: no stairs, intermittently on antibiotics and in diapers due to UTI’s.  She also receives daily joint supplements and probiotics.