When they went out and found him, he was chained up without food or water, had deformed legs, and a bad cough.
When members of Rudozem Street Dog Rescue were told about an abandoned dog in bad shape, their shelter was already full.
They simply didn't have any more room. But they knew they couldn't just leave the pup to die. The only nutrition he was getting was from kind passersby who felt for him.
He was chained to a trailer, surviving for ten days on the occasional bread and water brought by passing strangers. This might be the best story you've ever seen, or maybe the worst, but you won't believe what happens with this dog. The ending to this tragic story is truly amazing.
Worse yet, the people who left him told others to stay away and let him die. They claimed he had a disease they could catch.
“Alie explained that the dog had been tied up under a trailer for ten days, only surviving on the bread and water given to it by people passing by. She said that the people who dumped him there claimed he had a disease which could be passed to humans. Call it what you want, stupidity or ignorance – why on earth would you chain a dog up just to let it die?"
NEXT >
He had terribly deformed legs and a serious cough.
But after some time getting to know him, this poor boy showed just how friendly he was.
Despite overcrowding at their shelter, they simply couldn't turn him away. They took him in and gave him his own cage.
The folks at the rescue asked people to help name the cutie -- one woman landed on Duke!
After a quick exam, they realized that he was actually a very young dog, only perhaps 10 months old.
The next day, shelter workers took Duke to the vet for a full checkup. They wanted to know just what was wrong with his legs...
His deformed legs weren't the cause of a genetic abnormality or malnutrition.
Instead, they had been purposefully broken by blunt force trauma at a young age.
They would take periods of time wearing splints and undergoing several operations to fix.
But Duke was a fighter, so the vets got to work setting his bones.
They wrapped casts around his damaged legs.
They hoped after two weeks with the casts on that his tendons and legs would get as close as possible to their natural form before they operated.
Through it all, the shelter workers said, "little Duke was as good as gold, waiting patiently for it all to be over."
Once home from the vet, it only took him a little while to get the hang of walking in his casts.
After two weeks, they returned to the vet to check on Duke's progress.
The doctors were pleased!
And his overall health was improving, too.
Looking better!
But now they knew surgery would be necessary to completely correct the issue.
Just look at how much these vets love Duke!
How could they not?
They rewrapped his legs to further the healing but opted to wait on operating as he was still a growing boy.
What a happy boy!
He became a pro at getting X-rays.
Before his next visit to the vet, Duke chewed off his bandages...but it's hard to stay mad at him.
He stayed overnight this time for a quick surgery to begin correcting his leg issues. Here he is on his way home to the shelter.
He Seems To be Doing Alright Post-Op
Understandably so, Duke got a little tired of the countless trips to the vet.
Though he would eventually need another surgery on his other leg, the sweet boy was getting better by the day.
Love Heals All...Will It Heal Him from Surgery?
His Wounds Were Beginning to Heal...but the Wonderful Vets Couldn't Care For Duke Forever
They Didn't Have the Time to Give Him the Attention He Needed to Heal--He Needed a Forever Home
Then...a miraculous thing happened -- an application for his adoption was received.
After a thorough vetting process, his new mom was approved!
Duke's rescuers agreed that she'd provide a great forever home.
So soon it was off to the truck and through the Chunnel into the U.K.
Now Duke spends his days happily snoring away...