Four years ago, on the warm streets of Phoenix, Arizona, a police officer came across a heartbreaking sight—an injured female pit bull wandering alone, barely clinging to life.
She was a shadow of what a healthy dog should be—emaciated, her body covered in ticks, and her coat so filthy it appeared brown. Her swollen, scarred face made the officer think she might even be blind.
But what truly broke hearts were her ears—one was completely missing, the other too decayed to save. Signs pointed to a dark past in dogfighting, likely used as bait.
The officer didn’t hesitate. He rushed the dog to a local shelter, where fate took another turn. Volunteers from Mayday Pit Bull Rescue stepped in and reached out to Jeannette and her husband, asking if they’d consider fostering the wounded dog.
Without knowing why, they said yes. Her husband immediately picked her up and brought her straight to the emergency vet. The prognosis was grim. She was battling multiple tick-borne illnesses and severe anemia. The vet team did everything they could, but hope was slim.
“She smelled like death,” Jeannette recalled. “Everyone said she was the worst case they’d ever seen.” But even in her fragile state, the dog’s eyes held something remarkable—hope. She was scared, but not bitter. Instead of anger, she showed grace.
Jeannette and her husband knew they couldn’t leave her without a name. “We called her Calista,” Jeannette said, “which means ‘most beautiful.’ If she didn’t survive the night, we wanted her to pass with a name and love.”
But Calista surprised them all—she survived the first night. Then the second. Then the third.
Determined to show her consistency and care, Jeannette and her husband visited her daily at the clinic. Rescue volunteers joined in too, showering Calista with kindness she’d never known.
After multiple surgeries and intensive treatment, Calista grew stronger. Within a week, she was able to leave the clinic and move into Jeannette’s home—at first, just as a foster.
At the time, the couple already had another dog, Zazu. They weren’t sure they were ready to adopt. But Calista had other plans for their hearts.
“Everyone around us joked that she was staying for good,” Jeannette laughed. “We kept saying, ‘She’s just a foster.’ But the moment she was listed for adoption, I knew—I wasn’t letting her go.”
Zazu and Calista formed an instant bond. Zazu taught her the simple joys of being a dog—how to play, how to trust, how to feel safe.
“She didn’t know how to be a dog before,” Jeannette said. “Zazu helped her learn.” Though Calista still faces some health battles, including treatment for mast cell cancer, her spirit is unshakable.
“She’s pure joy,” Jeannette smiled. “She loves food, people, other animals—life itself. Despite everything she’s been through, she chooses happiness.”
Her infectious enthusiasm earned her the nickname “the tail drummer.” Her constant tail wags against their wooden floors make a rhythmic, happy beat throughout the house.
“She’s the happiest dog I’ve ever known,” Jeannette said. “And now, I can’t imagine life without her.”