There have been more and more cases of abandonment, neglect, and even abuse of dogs recently.
The shelters are full, and you can occasionally come across dogs in various physical states on the streets.
But, imagine how neglected the dog must be when it is difficult to realize that he is actually a dog when you see him on the street. That is just another level.
The hero of today’s story was in exactly that condition: a four-year-old dog that was so overgrown that he looked more like a sheep.
But, he overcame it all.
Their First New Year Rescue
On January 3, 2022, Barking Mad Dog Rescue wrote in their Facebook post that they had their first New Year’s rescue. They found an extremely matted dog wandering around BMDR, and everyone there was pretty shocked when they first saw him.
“The shelter is quite remote, so we believe someone left him there for us to find. We don’t know where he came from or how he came to be in such a terrible condition,” Hayley, the adoption team leader at BMDR, told The Dodo.
He was so matted that, at first, it was hard to tell he was a dog. What was even worse was the fact that his emotional condition was quite bad as well.
“He was VERY scared and didn’t want to be touched or handled,” Hayley said.
However, the shelter staff, led by Haley, was determined to help Barney, as they later named him, and get him back on track.
Shedding The Weight Off Of The Poor Guy
One of the shelter employees, Aura, managed to gain at least a little bit of his trust, which other employees and volunteers weren’t able to achieve.
She managed to trim some of the hair covering his eyes, but unfortunately, he was too terrified and sore for a proper haircut.
On Wednesday, January 5, BMDR wrote in their Facebook post that “Barny will go to the vet on Friday where he will be anaesthetized, and will finally have all those horrible matts removed.”
With the support of his rescuers as well as an incredibly gentle vet, Barny was transformed.
“He’ll be pretty tired and bewildered for a day or two, but we hope to show you a much happier dog very soon,” BMDR wrote in their Facebook post.
Although his heaviest burden had been lifted from his back, Barney still had a long way to go to full recovery.
In their next post, Barking Mad Dog Rescue shared with their followers and numerous Barny supporters that this poor boy had a broken leg as well. Sadly, Dr. Paul, his vet, said that the leg would need to be amputated, as that horrible fracture was so old.
Despite everything, after they took care of him and gave him lots of love, Barney became the happiest dog in the world.
The people who saved him knew he had a bright future ahead of him.
What A Transformation That Was
Around six months after he had been rescued, on May 21, BMDR wrote in their Facebook post: “Do you remember Barney?”, posting a picture of his amazing transformation.
Barney was a completely different dog from the one who arrived at the shelter. Although there was still progress ahead of him, for the people at the shelter, it was a pleasure to watch him come out of his shell a little bit every day.
“Barny is a real cheeky character and is settled in really well at the shelter,” Hayley said. “He’s learning to trust and gets better every day.”
Finally, Barney allowed himself to be touched and even hugged. And, that was the best possible sign that he was on the right track.
Just as he overcame all of the difficulties bravely and took the biggest burden off his back, we do not doubt that Barney will also find his happiest ending.
Barney, fingers crossed.
