Animal rescuers see things that would make our stomachs churn and our hearts break into a million pieces. As president and co-founder of the nonprofit rescue Heart of Alabama Save Rescue Adopt, Debbie Rappuhn sadly has witnessed many instances that made her doubt humanity.
When she was called out to rescue a pup named Augustus, Debbie couldn’t believe what she found. The abuse and neglect this dog had endured was unfathomable. He resembled a “prehistoric creature” with skin covered in a thick, painful crust that resembled concrete.
Debbie and the other rescuers couldn’t tell if August was a dog or a wolf. They had no clue what breed he was — if he was indeed a dog. He was wandering the streets of northwest Alabama where people rejected him and refused to help him.
He was starving, severely malnourished, injured and near death.
As soon as Debbie was able to get close enough to Augustus, she snatched him up and sped off with him to an emergency veterinary clinic. Even the vet was shocked at what a horrific condition Augustus was in.
It turned out to be the worst case of mange the vet had ever seen. He also was emaciated and had ear mites. It was painful, but ooh so slowly, the vet managed to peel off the layers of crust so that August could begin to heal.
With his sad brown eyes, he stared at everyone, not knowing if he could ever trust another human again, since everyone else had let him down so far.
After treatments, Augustus was left with raw, pink skin. But he began to enjoy interacting with people and taking baths. He loved his coconut oil treatments and most definitely adored everyone who helped him. It took a long time, but eventually, Augustus began to learn to trust humans again.
“He’d look up at us with these eyes that just said, ‘Thank you,’ We knew at that time he wasn’t scared of us anymore. He was just so thankful and so grateful that someone had (helped him).”
Scruffy patches of black and white fur grew back in and finally, Augustus emerged as a beautiful border collie. The transformation was amazing!
The shelter staff members and volunteers couldn’t believe who this pooch had become. He’s truly a brand new dog compared to the canine that cowered in fear before them when he first arrived.
Finally, after lots of love, training and tender care, Augustus was ready to head to his forever home. It didn’t take long before Jordan and Mindy fell in love with him.
He has shed his shyness and loves to play with his furry sister Layla. Augustus doesn’t mind having endless pictures taken by his hoomans and has become quite popular on social media.
Thank goodness there are people like Debbie on this earth willing to sacrifice themselves, their time and their money to save such a beautiful soul who desperately needed to be rescued. We hope Augustus lives life to the fullest with his new family!
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