DALLAS — In Toy Story, Buzz Lightyear showed up in a new place, disoriented and wondering what was going on. For Isabella, a two-year-old Dogo Argentino, that was reality, at least in a way.

“The mom and the dad were no longer together, and they could no longer take care of her,” said Dallas Pets Alive! Marketing Director Haley Edman.

Everything she knew was gone, and the life she once lived was over. Right about then is when her true problems started.

“She was frozen in fear,” Edman said. “We couldn’t even take her outside on a leash. We had to literally pick her up so she could use the bathroom outside.”

On Scooby Doo, a dog jumping into its owner’s arms is funny. With a two-year-old pup on her own, not so much. On top of that, what’s scarier than getting dire news from you doctors?

“She was misdiagnosed as deaf,” Edman said. “She also had some other medical issues. She underwent some surgery on her eyes to make sure that she could see a little bit better.”

It turns out cleared vision for the future has meant a new outlook for this exotic Dogo Argentino.

“Since her surgery and after a little bit of an adjustment period, she’s basically a set it and forget it dog,” Edman said. “You can pick her up in one place, put her into a new place. There might be an adjustment period, but her foster family has done a really great job training her.”

And just because she’s a breed from Argentina doesn’t mean this Dogo wants to be a gaucho roaming the Pampas. A happy home will work just fine for Isabella.