Terrified Stray Won’t Let Anyone Touch Him…When Rescuers See Why, Their Hearts Break

Most dogs, even strays, appreciate affection.

They’re so starved for love and respect that they will often approach strangers, sometimes in the desperate hope that stranger will have food, too.

But there are times when strays are scared of humans.

Maybe they were abused and don’t trust humans any longer. Or maybe something else is amiss…

The latter was the case for Rudy, a 5-year-old dog found abandoned in Gladstone Park in Northwest London on one of the hottest weeks of the year.

As the park is big and there were lots of people around, everyone saw poor Rudy. But nobody could get close.

That’s because any time someone came near the stranded pup, he shrank back and eventually ran in the other direction.

Some concerned passerby called Mayhew’s Head of Animal Welfare, Zoe Edwards, who immediately went to the scene. But she had the same problem:

“Rudy was so scared that every time someone went near him, he would run away.

That week it had been very hot outside, so we advised that members of the public leave out bowls of water for him to help keep him hydrated.”

It wasn’t until poor Rudy became so weak and tired that rescuers could get close enough to bring him in.

And it was a darn good thing they managed it, too.

As it turns out, the stray wasn’t merely starving; he also “had sores all over his body.”

Mayhew veterinarian Dr. Emma Robinson said:

“As he’d been running loose for six days, poor Rudy had sore feet with big painful tangled clumps of fur between his pads and he was extremely thin and weak.

“His skin was in a terrible condition and his fur was also knotted, so we prescribed him medicated baths and antibiotics for his infected skin, as well as parasite treatment.“

The good news is it didn’t take long for Rudy’s condition to improve.

After a week of treatment, his skin started to look better, and the vets were able to vaccinate and neuter him. Rudy even got a haircut!

The doctors praised the dog for being “extremely sweet and well-manned throughout the whole ordeal,” which obviously made him an attractive option for adoption.

It didn’t take long for a family to give Rudy his forever home, which is exactly the sort of happy ending we wanted!

And it’s all due to concerned citizens and the hardworking Mayhew team, who gave this scared, lonely stray a second chance.

Source: Good News Shared