Essex County Pit Bull’s Heart Literally ‘Too Big For This Earth’

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Sometimes the most compassionate thing you can do for an animal is find a peaceful place for them to pass away.

On Monday, Caldwell-based animal rescue nonprofit Rescue Haven Foundation (RHF) shared the tear-jerking story of “Nero,” a pit bull facing a terminal diagnosis and whose heart is “literally too big for this Earth.”

Nero – who is in need of an adopter who can provide him a peaceful and calm place to spend his limited remaining time – was recently boarded at the Associated Humane Societies of New Jersey’s dedicated-but-overwhelmed Newark facility, RHF staff said.

“In mid-March, after receiving pleas from dedicated AHS-Newark Branch volunteers that broke our hearts, we headed to their shelter to see how we could help,” RHF staff said. “We didn’t really have the room (we still had a dog in boarding, in need of a foster home, and 14 other adoptables) but we were determined to rescue just a few dogs from this overwhelmed shelter.”

And that was how they found Nero.

“His middle-aged frame was large, but he was emaciated and his body looked worn,” RHF staff wrote. “He hadn’t been eating due to stress, and living in the shelter for many months (and who knows where before that) had not been easy on him. On top of that, Nero is a ‘pit bull’ and his fur is black, two traits that studies have shown are obstacles to adoption, a fact we can’t think too much about or it causes us to feel depressed about society.”

• See related article: A Positive Pit Bull Story Out Of Newark: Is The Breed Getting A Bad Rap?

Nero was gentle, calm and loving when RHF staff met him at the shelter that day.

“He approached everyone he met like an old friend, as if to say ‘I really need your help, but I don’t want to trouble you too much,’” staff wrote.

But when vets examined the ailing pooch, they turned up a sad diagnosis: Nero’s heart is literally too big for this Earth.

“Nero has a condition called Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM),” RHF staff explained. “What this means is that his heart is enlarged, and cannot pump blood efficiently. The decreased heart function affects all of his other body systems.”

According to RHF, the canine’s prognosis is poor, as there is no way to stall the condition, or even stabilize it.

“Nero could have a few weeks left with us, a few months, or perhaps even a year,” the Essex County rescue group wrote. “And we are going to ensure that the time he has left on this Earth is the best he has ever had.”

RHF staff added:

“We are currently accepting donations for Nero’s care, but what we need more than anything is a place for Nero to stay. Right now, he is living at our partner vet’s office… While he is loved and cared for there, he deserves to live out his days in a home. He doesn’t require much: minimal exercise (his heart can’t handle exertion), good meals, and a soft bed. He is friendly with dogs and every person of every age he has met, but is a bit too interested in cats. We will cover all of his expenses for the rest of his life thanks to our generous supporters.”

Rescue Haven Foundation can be contacted here.

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Photo: Rescue Haven Foundation, Facebook