Sunflower, a tan pit bull, chewed her way out of a locked crate her owners left her in after they vacated their Gainesville apartment.
Volunteer Corinne Thompson, a fourth-year UF veterinary student, met Sunflower the day she left quarantine at Alachua County Animal Services, located at 3400 NE 53rd Ave. Sunflower approached Thompson, 25, with a tennis ball in her mouth. When Thompson tried to throw the ball for Sunflower, Sunflower appeared confused, Thompson said.
“It was like she was apologizing to me for doing something that she had never done, and it was just really sad,” Thompson said.
Thompson took Sunflower home to foster in August.
In September, Sunflower was diagnosed with pulmonic stenosis at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine. Pulmonic stenosis is a life-threatening heart condition, and Thompson is raising money for surgery to correct it.
Thompson hopes to raise $4,000 and has reached $2,157, as of press time.
Linda Eady and her mother, Betty Araujo, donated two tickets to the UF vs. Tennessee football game, which were auctioned for $300.
When Thompson picked up the tickets, she brought Sunflower to meet Eady and Araujo. The experience left Eady in tears.
“After everything she’s been through, I can’t believe how sweet she is,” Eady said.
Fluid Lounge, located at 140 SW 128th St. in Newberry, will host a fundraiser for Sunflower’s surgery Tuesday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with trivia and raffle prizes from local businesses.
Thompson hopes the surgeons are successful next month when they place a balloon in Sunflower’s heart to allow oxygen to her lungs.
“I’m hopeful,” Thompson said. “What can you be other than hopeful?
Sunflower, a tan pit bull, will undergo surgery next month for a heart condition. A YouCaring page has fundraised $2,157 for her surgery, as of press time.
