Given that I have been around dogs pretty much my whole life, I can confidently say that dogs have a habit of finding trouble for themselves even when it seems unlikely.
They usually assume that everyone is their friend, and that is a big problem. Then, they end up doing something reckless, which will cause a huge problem.
My German Shepherd would try to befriend other chickens, and he could never understand that they were afraid of him. This was an issue.
Brutus was similarly a very friendly dog who had tried to play with a porcupine, and this led to a serious injury for him.
Brutus’ Horrible Injury
It was a very ordinary day at work for the staff of the Paws Up Program (PUP) when they suddenly realized something was wrong with one of the dogs there.
Brutus, who had been engaged in a struggle against a porcupine, had ended up with quills lodged into his skin.
Given that porcupines have many of these quills, and they use them to protect themselves, it was safe to say that it felt threatened by Brutus’ presence.
The rescuers saw this and immediately ran to help the poor dog. They were absolutely horrified to see the state he was in. It was pretty bad. If any one of them had gotten into his eye, then that would have been horrible.
Nevertheless, the pup kept wagging his tail despite the fact that he was probably in immense pain at this point. He understood that the rescuers were there to help.
Suffice to say, the amazing rescuers reacted quickly and were able to get all of the large quills out of Brutus’ body, and he was on his way to recovery.
The pup is so grateful to have such amazing rescuers at his side, and that is pretty evident whenever they are around him.
Everyone Was Relieved
The Paws Up Program decided to post a video about Brutus’ condition on TikTok, and many people shared the horrifying reaction at what they had seen.
One commenter said: “Our dogs never learned that Porcupines aren’t your friends, no matter how many times they came home looking like this.”
This video should really serve as a warning for everyone to be careful around porcupines because you never know when your dog might attempt to befriend one and get himself into a lot of problems.
Another person said: “So thankful I live where there are no porcupines. The skunks get my Border Collie at least once a week though!”
Okay, so it is good to know that it is not just porcupines that can cause problems. I think we need to be more vigilant about who our dogs are trying to play with in the park.
Lastly, somebody commented: “It’s hard not to giggle a lil… Was this his first run in with a porcupine? Some dogs just keep going back for more even after something to this extent happens.”
I actually had no idea this is a regular occurrence for some dogs. I am baffled that they would try to mess with porcupines after getting injured the first time.
Regardless, it’s good to know that Brutus has recovered and his eyes are uninjured. This happy doggo has continued to live his best life with his rescuers, who are hopeful that he might find a forever home soon.
