In May 2023, rescuers at Beagles and Bentleys stumbled upon a tiny pit bull mix in heartbreaking condition at a shelter.
She was only 3 months old, yet her little body already bore the scars of deep neglect. Instead of fur, her skin was bare, raw, and painfully pink — cracked, wrinkled, and bleeding with each movement.
“She just hurt so badly,” recalled McKenzie Licata, one of the rescuers. “To see a puppy so young, in that state … it was overwhelming and disheartening.”
They named her Rosie.
Despite her pain, Rosie’s spirit was unbroken. She gazed at her rescuers with patience, almost as if she knew they were her only chance at relief.
“She was so sweet, so gentle,” the team wrote on Facebook. “Even though every touch must’ve stung, she let us help her.”
Rosie went home with Licata as a foster. Licata had cared for many dogs before, but Rosie’s case was different. Her condition was soon diagnosed as demodex mange, requiring frequent medicated baths, ointments, and endless patience.
Licata worried that Rosie, after so much neglect, might be fearful or defensive. But the pushback never came.
“She warmed up so quickly once she realized I was there to help,” Licata said. “Even though she was in pain, she accepted everything — the baths, the treatments, all of it.”
Day by day, Rosie grew stronger. After about four weeks, her fur began to sprout again — tiny gray patches covering the pink. And along with her fur, her puppy spirit returned.
“She was suddenly playful, silly, bouncing around,” Licata said. “It was like she remembered what being a puppy felt like.”
Rosie didn’t want to miss a single moment. She played nonstop with her foster siblings, followed Licata and her husband everywhere, and even tagged along on outdoor adventures.
“She had major FOMO,” Licata laughed. “We had to bring her everywhere with us — and honestly, we loved it.”
By two months, Rosie was almost unrecognizable. Her coat was full, her eyes sparkled, and her personality shone. She was finally ready for adoption.
When a kind family applied — one who adored rescue animals and already had fur siblings waiting — Licata knew they were the ones. Rosie soon trotted off to her forever home, leaving behind her painful past for good.
Saying goodbye was bittersweet.
“I definitely had a hard time letting her go,” Licata admitted. “When you watch a dog transform so completely under your care, you fall in love. But letting her go means I can open my home to the next one who needs me.”
Today, Rosie is thriving with her new family, surrounded by love and joy — a living reminder of resilience, and of how much healing is possible when someone cares enough to try.