It’s no secret that pit bulls get a bad rap, in spite of efforts by animal groups to dispel myths and raise awareness about the breed, considered by some to be vicious.
So when Vancouver’s Heather Matson was encouraged by friends and family to enter her three-legged pit bull, Jenny, into Portland’s Next TopDog Model, she wasn’t expecting much to happen.
She was pleasantly surprised, however, when the 3 1/2 -year-old rescue dog took home the top prize in the large dog category.
“I never thought she was going to make it, no way. She’s a pit bull,” said Matson, 34. “I never saw it coming.”
Jenny’s “ravishing gold eyes” and sweet and outgoing disposition helped her nab the win.
The annual contest, which wrapped up its 10th installment, is a fundraiser for the Oregon Humane Society. The competition was held Nov. 16 at the Monaco Hotel in downtown Portland and raised $16,200. More than 200 people entered their pooches, but only the top 12 for each division — large dog and small dog — were chosen by a panel of judges to participate in the sold-out runway show.
Jenny’s win came with a prize package worth $1,000 — including monthly visits to a Portland pet boutique for treats and a private party for Jenny and her doggie friends, as well as some goodies for Matson.
As part of her entry, Matson was required to answer a short questionnaire on behalf of Jenny, which played off the show’s theme of Paris.
Matson said it took her two days to come up with answers for Jenny, because she spent a lot of time researching Paris and figuring out what a dog could do there.
“I wanted mine to stand out, like Jenny wrote it,” she said.
She touted Jenny’s eyes as her best quality: “When these big golden-colored eyes gaze at you, your heart will skip a beat.”
And Matson played up Jenny’s stylish attire, which she describes as feminine with soft details.
“Her wardrobe is better than most people’s,” Matson said. “She loves getting dressed up.”
Jenny even has her own Instagram profile, @tripawdjenny, where she has more than 600 followers. She’s pictured in costumes — as a ballerina, a three-eyed fuzzy purple monster and Wonder Woman — and wears Seattle Seahawks gear and holiday outfits.
Rough start
But Jenny’s life hasn’t always been so full of love, laughter and kindness.
Matson said she believes Jenny was once used as a bait dog to provoke dog fighting.
In early 2014, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals rescued Jenny in Arizona and brought her to a pit bull rescue in San Martin, Calif. She was in bad shape, Matson said. That facility gave Jenny as much medical care as it could and then reached out to others for help, including Vancouver’s Tender Care Animal Rescue.
At the time, Matson was fostering animals, so Tender Care asked her if she could take in another.
“I loaded her up in my vehicle, brought her here and she’s never left,” Matson said. She officially adopted Jenny on April 11, 2015.
Jenny had a serious dog bite wound to her front left leg that never properly healed. Her stomach was swollen, and she had wounds on her head. Doctors also found two bullets in her stomach, Matson said.
Jenny’s leg was splinted, and she saw many specialists and tried antibiotics. Nothing helped.
Matson made the tough decision to have Jenny’s leg amputated in November 2015 at Forever Pet Dental, where she is a veterinarian technician.
Within a week of the surgery, Jenny’s behavior drastically changed, Matson said. She was wagging her tail and playing with her ball.
“She was up running around. It’s amazing what this surgery did for her. It turned her into a whole other dog,” she said. “She was more confident, loving herself and living life to the fullest.”
Jenny attends hydrotherapy and acupuncture treatment to manage her pain and adjust to walking on three legs. She recently graduated from intermediate obedience training and is learning rally agility skills.
“She does it three legs and all. She’s amazing,” Matson said.
Jenny isn’t Matson’s only fur child, or the only one who requires special care.
The rescuer
Matson has inadvertently spent the last few years rescuing animals who faced euthanasia. She’s rescued three dogs from shelters, including Jenny, two cats and a bearded dragon that was being surrendered at a pet store. She also took in her grandmother’s now 14-year-old dachshund, Kramer, after she died.
“I wasn’t looking. I believe in fostering so they can move onto better homes,” Matson said. “(But) they all landed in my lap, and I couldn’t say no.”
Jewels, a blind and deaf dachshund, was Matson’s first rescue at only a week old. The dachshund, now 11, was born without eyes due to poor breeding practices, Matson said. Then came cats Maya and Mostar, both 5, followed by Jenny, who inspired Matson to rescue another pit bull, 5-week-old Talli. His mother was pregnant when she arrived at a kill shelter and later delivered eight puppies. He was the runt of the litter and epileptic. Talli, now 3, also suffers from a tumor on his spine that sometimes hinders the use of his back legs.
“My house is called the land of the misfits,” Matson joked. “Every animal has an issue. It’s not a failed foster, it’s an animal that needed extra care.”
She said she believes her animals have changed her for the better. “If I didn’t have this, I wouldn’t be half the person I am today.”
When people ask her what she’s learned from the experience, she says it’s all about the message: Anyone can take on a rescue animal regardless of their past and give it a bright future.
“It’s not about the breed,” she said. “They can be amazing dogs or cats if the family has the time and ability to help with their transition.”
