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Abused dog ‘Khalessi’ passes away

ST. PETERSBURG, FL (WFLA) – Khalessi, an abused pit bull-mix dog whose sweet, snout-less face has become well known to the Tampa Bay community, sadly passed away Thursday morning.

Khalessi was only 1-year-old when she was found abused and abandoned in Orange County last August.

Khalessi only weighed 20 pounds, had no nasal cavity, was missing part of her upper jaw due to abuse, had fractures to her pelvis and limited use of her rear legs, according to Passion 4 Pits, the St. Petersburg rescue organization that took her in. Doctors in Tampa Bay called this the worse case of animal abuse they’ve ever seen.

It is believed someone took a baseball bat to her back, crushing the bones in her spine, her ribs and kneecaps – injuries that never healed. Yet, Khalessi has been fighting ever since.

Despite the abuse Khalessi endured before being rescued, she always had “an amazing spirit.” Passion4Pits said, “She is one of the most happy-go-lucky dogs and full of spunk.”

Khalessi – named after the strong female character from “Game of Thrones” – put up a good fight in her 10 months of recovery. She even visited schools all over the Bay area, teaching students a valuable lesson – acceptance and inclusion – showing them it’s okay to be different.

She passed away shortly before 9 a.m. Thursday.

“Devastating is not even close to describing how we feel. However her memory and her foundation with continue on,” a Facebook page dedicated to her reads.