Stray Dog Turns Up At Man’s Door On A Cold Night And Asks To Be Rescued

Stray Dog Turns Up At Man’s Door On A Cold Night And Asks To Be Rescued

On a cold January night, a man living in Earlton, New York, opened his front door to find an unexpected visitor. It was a skinny, hairless dog shivering in the frigid air – and the man had no idea where it came from.

“It looked like it had been dumped on the side of the road and abandoned,” a spokesperson for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA wrote on Facebook. “It was a freezing night, and we assumed she came to the door looking for food and warmth.”

The man brought the dog inside and called the police, who then took her to the shelter. When the staff laid eyes on the dog, now named Penny, her heart broke.

“She was in bad shape,” Ron Perez, president of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA, told The Dodo. “She had some open lacerations on her face and neck and was pretty much devoid of any hair. It was sad. It’s always sad to see them like that.”

It turned out that Penny had a serious skin condition called Demodex mange, caused by mites that burrow into the dog’s skin.

If left untreated, Demodex mange can be fatal, Chris Reeder, a board-certified veterinarian at BluePearl Veterinary Hospital in Franklin, Tennessee, told The Dodo. “Generally, it’s more debilitating than deadly, but in some situations, it can be,” he said.

Penny had managed to stay alive, but scabies had taken a toll on her health. She had lost most of her hair, leaving her skin dry and scaly, infected and scabby.

“When she scratched, she scratched the flesh, which became infected and caused further bleeding,” Perez said.

But with medical treatment and lots of attention, Penny recovered faster than expected. “Within a week, she looked like a different dog,” Perez said. “The vet was very impressed with her recovery.”

As the weeks went by, Penny got even better. Today, her mange is completely gone, but her hair may never fully grow back, Perez said.

“She’s a real fighter and she’s very resilient,” Perez said. “Her stress level is much lower now because she’s interacting with people, getting proper nutrition, and sleeping properly.”

While Penny was recovering, the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA worked with local police to find the person who had abandoned Penny. Within 24 hours, Penny’s former owner was identified and police arrested him for animal cruelty. If convicted, the former owner faces a $1,000 fine and jail time.

Everyone involved in Penny’s case is happy that justice is being served, but they are even happier for the couple who recently adopted Penny.

“We’ve had a lot of requests to adopt her,” Perez said. “But these two people are fantastic pet owners. They took their time and came to visit her several times a week. They brought their dogs, and everyone got along great. I like to think this is the last home she’ll go to.”

Penny will leave Saturday to begin her new life, and the shelter staff couldn’t be happier.

“She’s a very sweet dog,” Ms. Perez said. “She doesn’t have anything nasty in her body. She’s a real doll, and she’ll be a great pet.”

H/T: hvslen.com

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