Dog Was Burned, Starved, and Shot … But a Year Later, He is Totally Unrecognizable (PHOTOS)

Because of rescue organizations and the invaluable Support they receive from kind people from all around the world, countless animals have gone from states of very deep suffering to happiness and hope. The astonishing transformations of neglected and abused animals never fail to bring us those two things, happiness and hope, as well – and prove how much good there is around, ready to balance out the pain of living creatures in need.

Augustus is a perfect example of an astounding transformation like that. The dog was rescued by Trio Animal Foundation on July 31, 2016. He was found on the street on the Southside of Chicago, where a concerned person called the police about the stray. It was then that the rescue was contacted and, without losing a moment, they set off to pick Augustus up and bring him to safety.

Today, this beautiful dog looks like a textbook example of a happy pup – but only a little over a year ago, his life was a precise opposite. 

When Augustus was pulled out of the car at the ER vet, “it took everything not to burst into tears,” his rescuers recall.

The dog, carried in the arms of the rescuer who had picked him up, looked defeated and a picture of the unimaginable abuse he had suffered. Augustus had big deep wounds, chemical burns, a gunshot wound in one of his rear legs, and a huge pressure sore. He was so emaciated his bones were pushing against his skin. Suffering from severe muscle atrophy and starvation, the dog was not at all far from his organs beginning to shut down…

Augustus’s condition was so grave that his caretakers at the rescue anguished over the quality of his life and whether his medical care should be continued. In those following weeks of hospitalization, the dog would almost succumb to his many injuries multiple times. The medical problems kept reigniting. He developed severe neck swelling, was diagnosed with salivary mucocele, and had emergency surgery to rectify the problem. The visits to the ER kept coming, as well as his dermatology consultations because of the renewing pustules on his skin.

But throughout the later stages of this trying time, Augustus was gaining weight and thriving in the rescue’s care. His injuries were not limited to the physical ones – and, for the past year, Augustus worked continuously with Trio Animal Foundation’s Medical and Rescue Director who has done everything to help him enjoy his life again. Because of that wonderful commitment, Augustus is now, to put it simply, one hundred percent in love with her!

“To put it nicely, Augustus tolerates people but only wants Bridgid … as far as he is concerned she is the sun and the moon.”

He soon let everyone know in no uncertain terms that he has absolutely no intention of ever leaving his new favorite person – and so it was decided that “Augustus needed to stay with the only mom that he had ever known.”

Augustus’s life was changed beyond recognition – so much so that he now looks nothing like the dog in the heartbreaking pictures from a year ago.

Because of the severity of his condition upon rescue, to date, Augustus still receives daily medications, probiotics, is on a special restricted diet, and has regular bi-weekly baths. The emotional impact of the abhorrent abuse he had been victim to cannot be erased completely, but now life is completely different for Augustus – full of happiness and joy, and nothing will rob him of the love, safety, and care he is now granted.

To learn more about Trio Animal Foundation, click here.

All image sources: Trio Animal Foundation/Facebook