Photo: Jen Costa/Facebook
Jen Costa recently reunited with her dog more than five years after the pet went missing and soon found herself with a second new pup on her hands. Now, the New York dog mom is looking for a way to remain with both of the pets permanently.
Costa told PEOPLE that she lost her English bulldog Azzurra Diamante in 2016. The dog went missing shortly after Costa returned to her Nassau County home from the hospital following losing her entire tongue to oral cancer.
According toThe Jackson Sun, someonefound Azzurra Diamante in Chester County, Tenn., in October 2021 and brought the dog to Henderson Animal Control.
Jen Costa/Facebook
Henderson Animal Control didn’t suspect Azzurra was pregnant, so neither did Costa. Now the pet parent is working to find a way to keep both Azzurra and her puppy.
Costa’s living circumstances are currently preventing her from bringing the dogs home to Queens, where she is staying with members of her family, according toa GoFundMe campaignshe created to raise money for a place of her own and her animals' needs.
“I desperately want to keep her with me as I know God did not sent [sic] her back to me for no reason,” Costa wrote in an update on the fundraising page.
On the night of Jan. 24, the day before Azzurra was scheduled for a veterinarian’s appointment, Costa said the dog began acting out of the ordinary, according to theSun.
“She was panting so loudly — I couldn’t even sleep it was so loud,” she told the outlet. “She was really restless, jumping up and down off the bed. I didn’t know what was going on.”
After noticing her dog was bleeding, Costa consulted her veterinarian, who suggested Azzurra was possibly in labor, per theSun. So, Costa agreed to take her dog in first thing in the morning.
During the drive to the vet, Costa made a pit stop and realized that Azzurra was licking a puppy during the break.
“I reached my hand in to see what it was — and the lights were off so I couldn’t see anything — and when I touched it, it was wet and moving!” Costa told theSun. “So I screamed!”
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It didn’t take long for Costa to realize what had happened: Azzurra had given birth. Costa named the puppy Miracle, noting that it looked like her late dog Bruno, who died in August following a battle with cancer.
With two dogs now in her care, Costa is looking to raise the money needed to help her support the pups.
“I appreciate everyone’s love and support during this crazy yet beautiful time in my life,” she wrote on her GoFundMe.
Anyone interested in learning more about Costa and her dogs' journey can follow them on theStrongheart NationFacebook page.
source: people.com
