«The poor animal bore little resemblance to a dog. Experienced shelter workers couldn’t help but shed tears.
A puppy named Blondi arrived at the Maricopa County Animal Care and Control in Arizona at the end of last year. He was completely bald, with his skin covered in scabs. Emaciated and sickly, the Chihuahua looked more like a mummy than a dog.
Blondi was initially placed on the euthanasia list, but the center’s volunteers refused to give up so easily. They shared a video of Blondi on social media, asking for help from users. The video caught the attention of Caitlin Bill, the co-founder of Sky Sanctuary shelter.
«When I saw the video of Blondi, I was simply breathless,» she recalls. «The dog looked awful. She sat in her kennel trembling with fear. We realized that we had to get her out of there as soon as possible.»
Caitlin immediately went to the county center with her business partner, Ellie Smith. «We couldn’t wait to see Blondi. The center’s staff took her out of the cage and brought her to us. The dog’s condition was even worse than we expected,» Caitlin remembers. «I can’t find words to describe how her skin looked.»
The puppy was taken to a veterinary clinic, and the doctors gave an encouraging prognosis: there was a chance that Blondi’s fur would eventually grow back, as it had fallen out due to mange mites. They treated the dog, and Caitlin was able to take her home.
There, Blondi perked up and quickly made friends with other dogs, but she still approached her owner cautiously. Caitlin worried that after all the trials, the dog might never trust people.
One evening, while giving Blondi a bath, the first glimmer of hope appeared. «I took the towel off her, expecting her to run away and hide from me as she always did,» Caitlin recalls. «But something happened that evening: Blondi stepped away from me a few steps, then returned and climbed onto my lap. I cried tears of happiness.»
After months of treatment and care, not only did Blondi’s skin wounds heal, but her emotional wounds also started to mend. She grew her first coat of beautiful chestnut fur.
Blondi transformed not only physically but also emotionally – now she runs and plays with her stepbrothers and stepsisters, showing remarkable progress for an animal accustomed to moving on partially bent legs.
Her appetite and trust in humans returned. She happily wags her tail, and Caitlin is continually amazed at how loving and joyful a dog Blondi has become. «I’m so proud of her. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this wonderful girl,» Caitlin says.»
