It’s always super sad when we come across an animal that has been neglected.
While most veterinarians have seen it all, some cases are definitely more extreme than others. What happened to Dobby the dog was one of those extreme cases. The following emotional story of animal cruelty and the subsequent rescue was first reported by The Dodo, and honestly, you might want to grab a tissue. The photos are intense.
When Dobby’s owner first brought him into the vaccination clinic in Florida to get his shots, the employee’s couldn’t believe their eyes.
In fact, they weren’t even sure it was a dog they were looking at. The owner had “taken care of” Dobby for over 5 years, and this was the first time they ever thought to bring him in and get him help.
Dobby’s condition was terrible and he was incredibly sick.
Besides a few tuffs of hair around his face and head, he was basically completely furless!
While the low-cost clinic run by Concerned Citizens For Animal Welfare was primarily only for vaccinations, employees knew they had to do something. Veterinarian Sara Harper who was working as a technician there at the time immediately decided to take the pup to her own clinic down the road.
“We were horrified at his malnourished condition,” Harper told The Dodo.
“Along with his whole body raw and bloody, his feet were too, and toenails grown so long they curled into his paw pads. She admitted her flea treatment all the years she had him was pouring a flea powder meant for carpet and to be vacuumed up. She said she did not want to spend money on him. I begged her as a rescuer to surrender him, and she agreed immediately.”
The vets went to work and began by bathing the dog, trimming his toenails, and just doing what they could to relieve his pain.
They also started doing bloodwork to assess his condition.
Dobby was calm through the whole ordeal and did not lash out at all. He likely realized that he was finally around people who cared about him and was simply grateful that they were trying to help him.
“He sat there with love in his little eyes — like he knew he had finally been saved,” Harper said.
After being treated, Dobby was taken to Pawsibilities Rescue, where loving members of the community continued to look after him.
Little by little, Dobby started getting better.
For many months, rescuers had to give him daily medicated baths, and luckily, in the end, the treatment worked. His skin healed, his fur began to grow back again, and he slowly regained his health.
He also found a new home.
Liz Ford was looking on Facebook for a dog her family could adopt when she happened upon Dobby’s photo.
Ford instantly fell in love and knew she was going to bring him home! At that point, though, Dobby still wasn’t quite ready to leave Pawsibilities. He still had a little more healing to do. Ford waited patiently, and in the meantime, she also adopted another dog from the organization — a beautiful pup named Wylie.
Eventually, Dobby was ready to venture out into the world again.
Although he still had a few more treatments to go, Ford was more than willing to take care of things. Dobby was transferred to Ford’s house where he settled in and also got to meet his new friend Wylie. The good news is that he and Wylie bonded very quickly. According to Ford, they are all one big happy family.
Dobby now has an amazing curly and fluffy white coat and has totally regained all of his strength.
He has come so far since that day when he first arrived at the clinic, sick and neglected. His new family shows him so much love and they have given him a new lease on life.
“They healed his body and soul,” Harper said.
“Looking at him now you would never know what he had been through! It was a village that came together to save him. He is a lucky, handsome boy with the best owners ever.”
Check out more photos of Dobby hanging out at his new home below.
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