Grab your hankies, Green Monsters … because when you hear Cesar’s story, you’re going to need ’em. This sweet dog endured one of the most horrendous cases of neglect and abuse ever seen by his rescuers at Viktor Larkhill Extreme Rescue (VLER) in the UK. He was sold to a breeder ten years ago, and as a purebred Yorkshire terrier with the exact look that the breeder wanted, he went on to endure a living hell. He was confined to a small, dark cage, and only released when his breeder wanted him to mate with a female.

As his VLER carers put it: “For ten years Cesar didn’t see the light of day. For ten years he never left the basement where he was kept, never walked, never bathed, he was never touched, (he was) kept isolated and deprived of all human contact except those rare moments when the breeder would stand by his side watching him mount.”

A more heartbreaking tale than this could scarcely be envisaged.

When Cesar was finally delivered from his hell and brought to the VLER hospital, the vets who treated him were appalled to realize that his hair had become completely matted by his own feces. After running a number of medical tests, they found that he was ridden with ticks and fleas, anemic, and suffering from a serious tick-transmitted condition called Ehrlichiosis.

It is truly sickening to think of how his former “guardian” must have treated him.

How could anyone have let this gentle boy end up in such a condition?

Cesar’s carers were absolutely shocked by his condition, but they have sworn that they are “going to do everything, absolutely everything to save his life and offer him all those things he never had. We are finishing the year as we started it – saving the lives of the innocent.” You can watch the video describing his sad story here:

The trauma he must have been through during his ten years of imprisonment can scarcely be imagined. Let’s hope that this beautiful boy will pull through, and get to enjoy some dignity and freedom in his senior years. You can Donate toward the cost of his care here.

All image source: Viktor Larkhill Extreme Rescue