An animal control worker found Bjarni roaming the streets of Houston, Texas, abandoned.
Bjarni was brought to an animal shelter, who was able to find out who his previous owners. They contacted them, hoping to have Bjarni (which is Norse for Bear) re-homed with them. But the shelter people were given the most heartbreaking response. His previous owners no longer wanted him and had actually left him for dead.
And even when they said that Bjarni might be euthanized, they still wouldn’t budge and said no.
How heartbreaking for Bjarni!
You see, Bjarni has had a difficult life, including the fact that he is missing half his nose and some of his mouth. No one knows how that happened and his doctor couldn’t answer it for sure, too. He said that something must have grabbed his face and it just ripped. And his condition has made it difficult for him to eat and breathe.
And is most likely the reason why his previous owners had abandoned him and left him for dead.
But the shelter staff didn’t want to give up on him so they decided to reach out to Anne Graber, the founder of St. Francis Angels, a Texas-based animal rescue group, for help.
“We are led to believe by his behavior that most of his “people experiences” have not been favorable and that he does need more confidence,” Anne said. “He appears to have been involved in numerous dog attacks judging by the bite scars on his body, which is difficult to fathom due to his wonderful nature.”
She decided to take in Bjarni, get him the medical help he needed, and look for his next family.
“He will remain with us until such time he has fully recovered and been adopted,” Anne announced.
Getting the surgical help he needed was not going to be easy, though. It costs thousands of dollars to his nose and his mouth reconstructed. So, Anne reached out to their community and started an online fundraiser for Bjarni.
Well, guess what? So many people believed in them and wanted the best for this dog and started donating.
By the time the fundraiser was done a week later, they had raised $5,100 for Bjarni’s surgery.
Veterinarian Jason Balara of Gulf Coast Veterinary Specialists performed the surgery. He reconstructed Bjarni’s face to realign his nose with his sinus cavities.
“Once Bjarni is through with that, eating and breathing should be easier,” Jason Balara said. “And while his nose will never look just like other dogs’, he’ll be very cute and adoptable.”
One month after his surgery, he had been declared “Recovered” by his doctor. And the search for his new home began.
Anne had very strict requirements for Bjarni. His new family must have gentle hearts, who already had a dog that could play with Bjarni. He was not treated well at his last home and he’s super sensitive to loud noises, thus the requirement for a gentle-hearted family. They also needed to keep him indoors.
It took almost four months to find his new family but they did!
And the family who adopted him had another dog in their family already, who can perfectly complement Bjarni’s playfulness.
“ADOPTED!,” St. Francis’ Angels reported on their Facebook page. “Well, it is official! Bjarni has his very own family and home! His mum and dad were smitten the first time they laid eyes on him. He will be with us until the first week of February then it is off to his new home.”
Anne says she was thankful for the opportunity to help Bjarni. There were so many things that could have gone wrong but, instead, they went right for Bjarni.
“I truly believe with every fiber of my being, animals all have a set course to teach us both humanity and compassion,” Anne said. “It just gives us something to reach for.”
Watch the video below and fall in love with Bjarni even more!
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