As Summer was coming to an end in August 2020, Ireland was getting weather warnings for a late night storm. The Paws team had just finished battening down the hatches and seeing to the dogs in the kennels when a phonecall came through from a lovely couple to say they had found a poorly stray dog wandering down the road not far from their house in need of some help. They said they could give him food and shelter for the night and arrangements were made for the dog to be picked up and taken to Paws the next day. The finders warned of the dog being in bad condition but the pictures they sent on later that night, of a dog curled up eating chicken they had given him for the night, were shocking. He seemed nothing more than a bag of bones underweight and in need of a lot of care, see below.
The next morning, the dog was collected and brought immediately to the Paws vet’s in Clonmel for assessment and treatment. However, nothing could have prepared the team for the condition the poor dog was in when the van door opened and he lifted his head and peered out weakly. He was in a miserable state. Being a stray, it is impossible to know what his history was or what could have happened in his short, little life for him to end up in such a state. His face was full of misery, sadness and neglect. His ribs, spine and hips were very prominent and his whole body was full of mange, sores, open wounds and urine scalds. He was a picture of neglect. The vet determined his body score was at 0. It was impossible to not get upset looking at him. He was named Bobby.
Bobby needed emergency fluids and IV drip treatment, antibiotics and treatment for his mange. An update was immediately posted on the Facebook page to update the Paws supporters on Bobby’s rescue and a fund was set up so that people could donate towards his care and treatment if they wished to.
Bobby is an especially bad case. However, so many dogs come to the Paws gates carrying signs of mange or, much like Bobby, carrying the skin condition for so long that it has made them completely hairless and even sometimes covered in open wounds from scratching. It is always so hard to see the dogs suffering from it but the most infuriating aspect of mange is how treatable it is and how easy it is to prevent.
Bobby was in such poor condition, it was uncertain whether or not he would pull through. But being the special boy he is, he thankfully reached the vet’s in time and after a few weeks of treatment was ready to continue on his journey of recovery back at Paws. When he arrived at the shelter, he already looked like an entirely different dog. His fur was starting to grow back, his wounds had almost fully healed, he was much brighter and his tail wagged in anyone and everyone’s company, as if he knew he was in safe hands and well on the road to a much happier life.
He had a happy wag of the tail or lick of the tongue for everyone that visited him, just confirming what everyone already knew – this boy was a special one.
Bobby spent the winter in Paws soaking up the TLC, loving being everybody’s favourite and getting the rubs and treats, his favourite thing to do is get cuddles or go down to the Paws field for a ramble. He was getting brighter and healthier with every passing day and Sarah kept track of all of his recovery and progress with photos and updates.
In his short time from being picked up as a stray on a stormy night in August to the beginning of January 2021, he has definitely racked up a group of fans and supporters on the social media pages. He even gets post, in the form of packages full of treats and toys from his loyal fans! We are also delighted to say he already has a home waiting for him as of January ’21. He still has a bit to go on the road to recovery just yet before he can be adopted though. It’s been a tough year for everyone, Paws is not an exception to this. Covid has affected us all and the lack of ability to do any fundraising last year, something that Paws as a non-profit rescue charity heavily relies on, has impacted us hugely. However, looking into the eyes of one of the sweetest dogs that’s ever crossed the gates and one of the most extreme cases we have ever seen as a dog rescue tells us how needed we are and how reliant we are on our supporters to help provide care to dogs like Bobby. These dogs rely on us to care for them for rescue, rehabilitation and rehoming when they are ready. If you would like to donate towards dogs like Bobby’s care, please go to www.paws.ie/donate
