On December 23, 2017, an animal rescuer named Pia received a call from a friend. Pia’s friend had seen a stray dog running around near her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The woman had tried to catch the pup, but she hadn’t had any success.
Pia headed over to her friend’s house and went to look for the pup. She found him lying next to a house, and she was shocked to see what a bad state he was in.
The dog was skeletal, and he was so weak he couldn’t stand up. He was also covered in mange and sores. There was no shine in his eyes, and Pia worried that he wasn’t going to be able to survive much longer.
Pia took the dog to the vet, and he told her the dog would need 24-hour care if he was going to make it through the weekend. Pia dropped everything to look after the pup, but despite her best efforts, he lost two pounds in his first days with her. There were a couple times when Pia was sure the dog wasn’t going to make it, but the dog was stronger than he looked.
Pia named the dog Hercules—like the Greek hero, he kept fighting, and he refused to give up on life.
As the weeks went by, Hercules started getting better. In January 2018, he walked for the first time!
When Pia first took Hercules home, he had no strength left in his muscles. As Hercules got stronger, Pia helped him stand. Finally, he was able to stand and then walk on his own. Pia cried tears of joy when she saw Hercules taking his first halting steps.
Soon after that, Hercules began running around Pia’s house. He also started gaining weight, and his fur began growing back. By February 2018, he looked like a whole new dog.
As Hercules began feeling better, his playful personality started shining through. Hercules loves people, and he’s a big fan of cuddling. He also formed an incredibly close bond with Pia—after all their sleepless nights together, the two were inseparable.
Pia had been planning on fostering Hercules and then putting him up for adoption. But Pia loved him too much to let him go, and so she officially adopted him!
In the year since Pia adopted Hercules, their bond has grown even stronger. Hercules loves going on long walks with Pia, and he also enjoys hanging out with Pia’s friends’ dogs. Hercules loves everyone!
To celebrate Hercules’ first birthday, Pia took an adorable photo of him dressed up in a costume. It’s amazing to see how happy and healthy he looks.
When Pia first took in Hercules, she wasn’t sure if he would survive. But the pup kept fighting, and now, he has a wonderful home and a mom who loves him more than anything! If you want to see more cute photos of Hercules, check out his Instagram page.
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