The story of 5-month-old Sammie, a boxer puppy, is an incredibly sad one. Not only was this pup tortured by being spray painted, dragged by a car, and shot in the head, but he was ushered to a kill shelter just three days after the whole ordeal.
The worst part is that Sammie’s owner was the one who abused him.
He was dumped at a local kill shelter but was thankfully taken to Paws & Claws Animal Clinic for medical attention. The kind souls at Rescue Dogs Rock NYC pitched in to pay for all of his medical costs.
Sammie’s swift recovery is attributed to the fact that he had a special friend by his side. A 1-year-old Border Collie mix named Simon that stood by Sammie while he was waiting to get an X-ray done.
“The picture really speaks for itself,” Stacey Silverstein, co-founder of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, told Woman’s Day. “You can see Simon comforting Sammie. It shows that animals have compassion and they feel. Simon would go to Sammie’s kennel to comfort him and play with him and sit with him often.”
Sammie was sick himself. He had a skin disease that covered his body after a bad case of mange. The two dogs instantly became friends and helped each other through their recovery.
The photos of these two buddies were posted on Facebook and instantly went viral and was shared more than 4,000 times.
Silverstein hopes that the story of their friendship will raise awareness of animal abuse these poor defenseless animals endure at the hands of humans.
“We want to use this opportunity to educate others across the country,” Silverstein told TODAY.com. “It shows these two very neglected dogs in horrific circumstances comforting each other. Animals feel.”
Sammie had to get a skin graft and surgery for his crushed leg. His injuries required four serious orthopedic surgeries.
Thanks to Simon, Sammie was able to fully recover and is now a happy and healthy at 80 pounds, according to Pawpulous. He was adopted by a family in New Jersey who has other foster dogs for him to play with.
As for Simon, he has a happy ending as well. Simon now lives in Pennsylvania and even has his own Facebook page! You can make sure that dogs like Sammie and Simon find happy endings too by visiting Rescue Dogs Rock NYC’s page here by fostering a dog, volunteering or donating.
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