“[S]he made it through like a champ.”
By Ashley Ortiz
Published on Aug 28, 2025 at 5:44 PM
When Kel Izumine first laid eyes on a 5-ounce newborn pit bull puppy, she couldn’t believe that someone wouldn’t want her.
With the palm-sized puppy on her chest, veterinary technician Izumine, founder and director of Rock And Roll Rescue Hospice House (RARR), listened to the owner’s reasoning but still couldn’t make sense of it.
“She had a really, really severe injury to her front arm,” Izumine told The Dodo in a recent video. “The breeding party just wanted her euthanized.”
The puppy, later named MJ, had an injury that ultimately required emergency, lifesaving amputation. But while the breeder saw no hope for MJ’s future, Izumine knew she could still live a happy and fulfilling life with just three legs.
Izumine asked the breeder to surrender MJ to RARR and breathed a sigh of relief when they agreed.
“That way, she would actually have a chance,” Izumine said. “I was really upset because she was so young.”
MJ was indeed tiny and vulnerable, but she quickly proved she had a fighter’s spirit. She powered through two amputation surgeries at less than 2 months old and recovered quickly, literally yelling in celebration along the way.
“Since literally day one, she has been the most dramatic, vocal, loud personality that I’ve ever seen in my life,” Izumine said.
MJ may have been loud, but it only made her caregivers fall in love with her even more. After a while, MJ grew strong enough to go into weekly foster care — temporary field trips away from the clinic — and her nurses would jump at the chance to take her home.
“It was funny because at work, people would fight over who gets to take her for the weekend because she’s just so much fun to have around,” Izumine said.
As the weeks passed, MJ’s physical strength and bubbly personality continued to grow. She thrived during her weekly leash-training sessions with Izumine and was soon ready for adoption. Luckily, someone in her extended family had already taken an interest in her.
“One of my best friends adopted her,” Izumine said.
On the day of her adoption, the sweet pup’s tail wagged harder than ever before while meeting her new family.
“It’s like she almost knew, like, ‘OK, this is my next chapter, and this is forever,’” Izumine said.
You can watch MJ meet her new family here:
Once a helpless and rejected newborn, MJ soon blossomed into a strong and playful pup. The years following her rescue were filled with bliss, thanks to the one person who refused to give up on her in the first place.
“I’m just endlessly grateful she made it through like a champ,” Izumine said.
Sadly, MJ, renamed Nebula, passed away in 2023 at the age of 2, after a courageous battle against a rare spinal cord disease. Her loss sent shockwaves throughout her community, as they’d hoped to see her thrive for many more years.
However, Nebula’s tribe of loved ones, including Izumine, remains grateful that the sweet girl got to experience life as a puppy alongside her amazing forever mom, Dr. Drea Dillon.
“You are the momma and the family I wish all animals could have,” Izumine wrote to Dillon on Facebook. “Your sunshine will shine even brighter with the best guardian angel.”
To help pups like MJ get the care they need, you can donate to Rock And Roll Rescue Hospice House here.
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No One Thought This Micro Kitten Was Going To Survive — Then She Met A Friend
“She literally fit in the palm of your hand.”
Last year, frequent cat foster mama Erin Moore took in the tiniest cat she’d ever seen. At 8 weeks old, the kitten was barely the size of most 3-week-old cats.
“She literally fit in the palm of your hand,” Moore said in a video for The Dodo. “She was half the size of a water bottle.”
The kitten, named Mouse after her miniscule size, was the extreme runt of her litter. Because she was so small, many people told Moore they didn’t think the cat would make it past 6 months old. But Moore was determined to do everything she could to give the micro kitten a fighting chance.
“Despite Mouse’s tiny [stature], she came fully loaded with the sass and the attitude of a teenager,” Moore said.
While Moore was taking care of Mouse, she took in another foster cat named Coraline. Like Mouse, Coraline also needed special care — her eyes had ruptured and had to be surgically removed. While the surgery was a scary experience for Coraline, Moore could tell that she had a curious, resilient spirit.
“It was as though she knew that she had a life to live that was going to be better and bigger than the life she had with eyes,” Moore said.
As Mouse was working on growing and Coraline was working on navigating without sight, the two kittens formed a beautiful friendship. Moore watched in awe as Mouse led Coraline around the house, helping her feel more comfortable.
“Mouse will, time and time again, show her things without her having to see things,” Moore said. “She has guided her to an open window so that Coraline can smell outside.”
Before long, Coraline was running around, climbing the stairs and jumping up onto tall surfaces with ease. Meanwhile, the confidence Mouse gained through helping Coraline gave her the strength she needed to grow big and strong.
Moore was so touched by Mouse and Coraline’s special bond that she decided to adopt both of them. It’s now been a little over a year since she first took them in, and they’re both thriving — against all odds.
These days, Mouse and Coraline spend their days grooming each other, play-fighting and cuddling. And even though they’re both full-grown, self-assured cats now, they still find ways to take care of each other.
“It’s so unique to watch the relationship that they have,” Moore said. “Even though they are not from the same litter, they do not have the same history of deficits, they understand each other.”
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