In October 2017, Animals Lebanon received a call begging the charity to come help a dog found wondering the streets of Batroun, northern Lebanon.The terrified puppy was at death's door, suffering from not just one but hundreds of shots to the face.Maggie Shaarawi, vice president of Animals Lebanon, said:
He was shot with a pellet gun, leaving hundreds of pellets in his skull [and] had a completely open muzzle and one damaged eye.
[caption id="attachment_28261" align="alignnone" width="605"]
An X-ray of Fluke's head: Source: Animals Lebanon[/caption]While the identity of the shooter remains unknown, it is clear that the shots had been made at close range. It is estimated that the puppy, named Fluke, had been in this condition for about a week before being found. He was skinny and malnourished with his wound starting to become infected.Fluke was found by Tina Lawandos, a university student and volunteer for Animals Lebanon, who hurried him to the vet.
Source: Animals Lebanon
The vets Fluke visited both recommended euthanasia, stating that he was too badly injured to survive.Beginning to lose hope, Tina took him to a third vet who saw Fluke's injuries from a different perspective. He said "let’s do the surgery and make sure he is pain-free with good medications."Shaarawi said:
The vet performed a very sophisticated surgery, which took five hours and cost us a fortune.
The surgery was a success with Fluke showing signs of recovery almost straight away. He stayed at the vet surgery for a week where a tube was inserted intravenously to help him eat.
Source: Animals Lebanon
It wasn't long before he was ready to take the next step and go into foster care. He seemed to settle down very quickly, with Shaarawi saying:
He started gaining weight and showing a more natural behavior and interacting with the other dogs at the foster home.
He is described as an "extremely friendly" dog who loves to "put his head on your lap and [seek] attention." As well as his love for human interaction, he adores nature, in particular grass.He is now up for adoption, with the team at Animals Lebanon hoping to find him a home in either Boston, Chicago or Miami where they have registered charities. The most essential thing is that he finds someone who will look after him and make sure his wounds don't become infected again.Despite everything this poor dog has endured, Shaarawi explained that:
He is forgiving and super happy, and we are all amazed with his physical and mental recovery [...] he always greets people with a wagging tail [and] is always always happy to meet any new people.
Source: Animals Lebanon
H/t: The Dodo
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