Vacationer Rescues Dying Dog. 1 Month Later, He's Unrecognizable
When people are on vacation, they’re usually in a different locale than their hometown to enjoy some time off.
Usually the focus is on what they and their friends or family want to do, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s a great time to focus on creating memories and having a fun time.
But one woman who was in Aruba wanted to do more than that. She went out on Thanksgiving and fed some stray dogs, but bumped into a poor pup who looked more like a rock than a living, breathing animal.
The dog had sarcoptic mange, a rather aggressive and contagious skin condition. His once-normal coat was gone, and instead, his skin was inflamed in thick, dry rolls.
Despite his obviously painful condition, the dog was friendly. He wagged as he approached the woman, and she fed him and took a photo of him to post online.
Within hours, she’d gotten lots of responses — including one from a local shelter that promised her if she could get the sick dog to them, they’d help out.
The dog was dubbed “Ozzy,” and vets went to work on him immediately. Despite looking like some alien creature, he was okay internally, and they began to bathe him with medicated shampoo.
After just a month, the inflammation had gone down and his coat started to grow back. The dog who once looked like he’d stumbled out of a crypt was actually young and on his way to being healthy.
He was rescued late in November, and at the end of December the rescue — Sgt. Pepper’s Friends — posted a happy “pupdate.”
“Ozzy is very happy with attention, snuggles and treats and even though he is still in boarding and under treatment, he seems to know we are helping him. Yesterday he even made some happy dances and hops in the play area, showing his playful side.”
Ozzy’s journey to health and happiness was funded by many caring followers, and so it was with great joy that Sgt. Pepper’s was able to post that as of April 14, he had been adopted.
Ozzy’s story is really one of teamwork: it took a village of people to help him. One woman found him and brought him in, vets worked off of donations to get him healthy, the rescue was able to care for him and find him a home, and good Samaritans helped Ozzy get from Aruba to his new home in Seattle.
Now he leads a very comfortable life and has many more adventures to look forward to!
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