She cared for her babies, but no one cared for her...

On March 13, 2026, a volunteer picked up a Cane Corso family from a north Texas animal shelter and drove them to safety, to a MAS Bully Rescue foster family in Bryan, Texas. 

The first two pictures we received of Mama Renata, as she affectionately became known, and her six babies painted a full picture: we were seeing a scared, neglected, and abused dog who would do anything if it meant her babies would be safe. She cowered over her babies, fearful for what may come, but brave enough to put herself in front of any potential harm. 

But getting Renata and her "Italian Roots" to Bryan was only the first hurdle.

Soon after settling into her foster home, we quickly learned that Renata was fearful, reactive, and hesitant to trust. Never aggressive towards people, but incredibly apprehensive, you could tell this girl had been let down more times than not; making her untrusting of people. 

Medically, she came with a list...

1. Extreme Emaciation (pouring all she had into her babies)

2. High Heartworm Positive

3. Intact (and needing an extensive spay)

4. Severe damage from a long-term embedded collar

After months of being the best mama, she watched as all of her babies found loving forever homes; while no one came for her. And when the rescue began to tackle her medical issues, the list continued to grow.

On May 19th, Renata went in for her spay and corrective surgery to remove the extra skin and scar tissue around her neck, caused by the damage from the long-term embedded collar. That night, everything changed. 

From the moment her foster mom picked her up, it was clear something was wrong. Renata was experiencing excessive bleeding and oozing from her neck wounds, that continued to progress and worsen over the next several weeks. Under close veterinary supervision (by both our primary clinic and the practice who did her procedures), we watched as Renata's body began to reject the sutures and surgical corrections, experiencing severe wound dehiscence. Large globs of coagulated blood and clots were - literally - dropping from her neck, and she very clearly began to develop an infection. After multiple rounds of failed antibiotics, the surgical site failed entirely, leaving Renata with a large open wound. Testing of the surgical site found that Renata lives with MRS-P, a chronic, antibiotic resistant staph-infection; and after conducting an antibiotic susceptibility test, we learned that there were/are no safe antibiotic options for her.

Now 3 months later, Renata's neck has finally "healed," although she is left with severe scar tissue and folds that become humid and yeasty when not cared for daily. And while the surgeon has offered to do a revision, we as a team have collectively decided to pass, knowing that the likelihood of Renata having complications moving forward is high. 

Renata is now, finally, starting her heartworm treatment (injections into her back); and, for a XL breed dog, are expensive. 

And these are only her medical needs. Renata would benefit greatly from training that would work on building her confidence, reducing her reactivity, and make her a more adoptable candidate. 

While MAS Bully Rescue actively works with Off Leash K9 - our preferred training partner - their programs are expensive. Even with special discounts for rescues, Renata's training will be extremely costly. After her medical needs received almost no fundraising support, MAS Bully Rescue truly does not have the extra resources available to provide intensive training support. And every day that Renata sits in our program, is another day where a shelter dog loses a chance at a spot in our program. 

Will you please help us help Renata?