Pet of the Week: Zeusy Bear

Meet Zeusy Bear, a one-year-old Rottweiler who resides in Glen Cove with his owner Debbie Pagano.

Zeusy Bear was born December 1, 2009. Pagano said she adopted the pup from a friend whose landlord changed her mind about having pets in the home.

"I gave him as a Valentines gift to a friend the following February 14 because he "loved Rotties," Pagano said. "After a couple of months this former friend was teasing the Zeusy Bear with his dog food dish and Zeus Bear ended up breaking his leg. My friend wanted to "put him down" because he did not want to pay for the Zeus Bear's surgery."

With the help of her sister Susan, Pagano said she was able to come up with the money for the surgery.

"Zeusy healed really well in such a short time," she said. "He is the most loyal, friendly dog you will meet. The neighborhood children love him but he has an affinity to basketballs so I don't bring him to the local school yard like I used to."

Pagano adopted a rescue dog a year later, after reading her story on Craigslist: "Her name is Belledini and she was one day away from being euthanized when I saw her story on Craigslist," Pagano said. "She was hit by a car in Suffolk County and left for dead with a broken pelvis and a broken femur. The emergency vet did not want to do surgery because they had no payment. Again, I stepped in and paid for her surgery. I picked her up a week later and her and Zeusy get along great, although she's the boss."

Pagano says that while Rottweilers get a bad name, they are not mean animals.

"I think the people that were ready to euthanize them are heartless. Don't have a pet if you cannot provide in case of an emergency and don't become a veterinarian if you cant give back," she said.

Think your pet should be featured on Glen Cove Patch? E-mail photos to charleen.famiglietti@patch.com. 

Click for last week's featured pet.