Dog Covered with Scabs Found in Middle of Desert, Body Nothing but Skin and Bones
Matt Bentley of Sandy, Utah, is an absolute dog-lover. He loves his dog Bella so much that he decided to take her 4-wheeling for her third birthday on Sunday, Jan. 15.
It was an early birthday gift, but Bentley wanted to show his pup a good time. Their choice of location was an off-roading site in Knolls.
Although it was their first time going to the new spot, Bentley never expected to find anything unusual in the middle of the desert. As the two drove around the area, “he spotted something running in the distance.”
I don’t know what you would think if you saw this pink creature racing toward you, but my first instinct would not be to classify it as a dog.
But Bentley quickly realized it was a dog, so he hopped out his Jeep and called her over. When she came, Bentley placed her in his vehicle.
“It was friendly so I grabbed it put it in Jeep,” he said. “Middle of nowhere on the salt flats, probably been out there forever.”
He didn’t realize how bad her condition was until he turned on the interior light. The poor pup was nothing but skin and bones.
Plus, she had lost all her fur. Her skin was crusty and drooping — she’d clearly been in a bad state for quite some time.
Bentley immediately rushed her to an animal ER, and from there, Utah Animal Adoption Center (UACC) took over.
Lila Oulson, the shelter’s manager, had never seen a dog in such horrible shape. “She’s scabbed over, she has sores on her, and then she has no fur,” she said.
The dog’s hairless state was caused by a severe skin condition called sarcoptic mange. Oulson said she couldn’t figure out the breed of the dog, but was able to tell she had been stranded in the desert for at least three months.
She also noted that she suspected the dog was no puppy, but that at some point she may have had puppies of her own.
Despite her condition, the sweet pup was in good spirits and is expected to make some improvements. Unfortunately, the lost dog didn’t have a microchip, so vets were unable to track down her owners.
Oulson decided to name her Kelly in light of her “warrior” spirit. “She’s going to be a fighter, she’s got to fight this,” she said.
Hopefully now that she’s in the care of concerned rescuers, she’ll be able to relax, heal, and grow her hair back. They might even be able to tell what kind of dog she is at that point.
Now that Kelly is on her way to making a full recovery, UACC has started accepting donations for her. Once she’s back healthy, she’ll be ready for adoption in hopes of finding a forever home.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
