Fresno dog found infested with ticks. A Hugh Hefner ex-girlfriend helps to save its life

A dog covered all over with ticks fell belly up on a Fresno driveway late last week, with the puppy hardly breathing and looking almost dead.

To save the dog’s life, it took the unique teamwork of:

• the pet-friendly communities on social media

• a Fresno mailman who actually loves dogs

• a couple of compassionate animal rescue volunteers and veterinarians

• and perhaps most importantly, help from an ex-girlfriend of Playboy icon Hugh Hefner

“I have never seen a dog with this many ticks,” said Izabella St. James, who heads “The Pug Queen,” a nonprofit animal rescue organization based in Los Angeles. “It tugged at my heart and knew I just had to help.”

St. James, a former lawyer who once dated Hugh Hefner in the early 2000s, dedicates much of her time these days helping save pug-breed dogs “and occasionally friends of pugs.”

She uses her influence as a popular dog advocate on social media (150,000 followers on Facebook alone), along with investing her time and money. And her followers often notify her when they see animals in trouble.

Upon seeing graphic photos of the boxer-breed dog infested with ticks, St. James offered to pay for the vet visit if someone in Fresno could take the dog.

“Poor thing,” St. James said. “Those ticks were embedded way in the dog’s skin.

“You just know her condition was the result of a long time of neglect and suffering.”

Turns out, the boxer, who later would be named “Precious Betty,” was only 6 to 8 months old.

“She’s just a pup,” St. James said, “and already been through so much.”

Countless ticks everywhere

Isaac Granados, a mailman in Fresno, found Precious Betty in dire condition Thursday when his own dogs started barking as the neglected boxer wandered aimlessly near his home.

Then, she circled around and stumbled, lying belly up on the concrete driveway in the midst of a hot Fresno summer day when temperatures reach 100-plus degrees.

Granados posted photos of Precious Betty on social media in hopes of finding answers and additional help.

“You don’t know how many people usually turn a blind eye,” St. James said. “This man did enough and kept her safe.”

Granados secured the dog in his backyard and took care of it for the night. By the next morning, Fresno-area animal rescue worker Amy Granados (no relation) came by Friday to transport the dog to the vet.

Perhaps surprisingly, testing revealed the boxer actually did not have any heartworm or tick illness.

But it was obvious: The dog was uncomfortable with hundreds of ticks burrowed within.

Especially with countless ticks in and around the dog’s ears, which made for a disturbing sight.

So Amy Granados, who works with the animal rescue organization “House of Muddy Paws,” took out tweezers.

One by one, she gently and meticulously pulled ticks out.

But Precious Betty also was anemic.

So Granados had to eventually stop in fear of the dog bleeding too much.

‘Honorary pug’ gets additional treatment in L.A.

Vets told Granados that the ticks would die and fall off the dog in due time thanks to the tick-killing medicine.

By Saturday morning, a Pug Queen volunteer named Wayne drove four-plus hours from Los Angeles to Fresno to pick up Precious Betty then transported the dog back to Los Angeles all in the same day.

Animal rescue workers and volunteers like Granados often are the heart-and-soul toward saving neglected and abandoned pets.

But like with many things in life, it also takes money.

And in this case, St. James, who is the CEO of Pug Queen, generously paid for all of Precious Betty’s vet bills.

“I decided to bring her here in L.A. for more thorough care and testing,” St. James said. “I follow a strict protocol for rescue dogs. It is expensive testing and many rescues simply cannot afford it.

“The pug community rallied for Betty. She is our honorary pug.”

For now, the boxer is being kept indoors and an air conditioned environment. But she’s also isolated from other animals while waiting from additional medical results.

Specifically, trying to find out if Precious Betty has anything contagious or potentially deadly.

St. James is hopeful that once the boxer has been cleared, she can help in placing the dog in a permanent “forever home.”

St. James said she’s already received messages from folks around the country asking to become Precious Betty’s new owner.

“All this dog has ever known is neglect and suffering,” St. James said. “Yet, she’s as sweet as can be.”

But more than saving a dog’s life and finding it a loving home, St. James and others involved in Precious Betty’s rescue are hopeful others will:

• Show compassion and kindness for animals like the Fresno mailman did, as well as report situations upon seeing neglect or abuse.

• Be appreciative of the animal rescue workers and vets and donate to their cause since they often volunteer their time and talents primarily out of love for animals and pets.

• Take action — even from afar — to save an animal’s life like St. James did rather than watch and react without doing much else.

“These animals need our help,” St. James said. “Everyone plays a critical role.”