‘He must’ve also been abandoned in the wild for some time for him to have so many ticks and fleas when I found him.’: Neglected puppy is gently and patiently nursed back to health by his rescuer and given a new leash on life, readying him for adoption

Author image for Laurent Shinar
Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor
Oct 13, 2025 10:00 AM EDT

Thankfully, doggo rescues are not quite as common as they once were, but that does not make them any easier to swallow. After all, no one likes to see such gentle and caring creatures being mistreated and looking their very worst. But thankfully, those who do come across the rare sighting of an out of sorts pupper are kind and caring enough themselves to stop and do something about it.

As is the case for this canine rescuer who came across a doggo duo roaming the streets looking worse for wear. And even though she only managed to get her mitts on one of the two puppers, it is lucky that she did, for now this doggo has a wonderful chance at a new life in a home that will actually care and love it, the way that it always deserved to. There's nothing like a nice and happy ending for a pawdorable pupper.

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  • 01
    Found this lil guy in our neighborhood running around with a collar that had no tags. He was with what looked to be his papa dog, but the papa dog was skittish and unfortunately ran off
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  • 02
    when I leashed his son. I haven't been able to find him since. I have the puppy quarantined from my other doggies in the backyard waiting
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  • 03
    for someone local on Nextdoor to claim him! I gave him some water and a little bit of food (not too much since I didn't want his stomach to get upset) and the poor lil guy was famished!
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  • Oof, what a sad state of affairs. First off for the puppy itself to be in such poor condition. But also for the potential papa doggo running off. Though maybe that was his fatherly attempt at making sure his son had the best chance of survival, knowing that a puppy would be more likely to be taken in by hoomans than an adult doggo.

  • 04
    I'm not sure if he has anything (hence the quarantine), but I did pull off a few ticks and it looks like he's covered in fleas. My next plan of attack is to give this guy a nice wash and treat him with flea medication.
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  • 05
    I'll follow up with any updates if someone claims him- but so far all signs are pointing to him being abandoned, poor thing. Our local animal shelter is closed today, so if
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  • 06
    I'm unable to keep him myself, I'll be dropping him off there. If you guys have any suggestions for anything else I should do, please let me know! Also, do
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    Cheezburger Image 10563165184
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  • 08
    you guys know what breed he is? I have no clue!
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  • 09
    UPDATE 0.5: I just finishing washing him and he's starting to perk up! We're going to take a trip to the vet to see if he has a chip in a few minutes. I'm hoping
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  • 10
    to find his owners soon- I can't imagine abandoning such an adorable lil puppy!
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  • Honestly, we have to ask the question, what would make someone want to find a poor pupper like this one’s original owners who let him get into such poor shape? Surely they should be prosecuted rather than having their pupper returned…

  • 11
    UPDATE 1: I can't edit the post, so I'll update you all here at the top comment! I took him to the vet to have his microchip scanned in hopes to find his
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  • 12
    owners. At the vet, they told me that since he's a stray they have to hold him at their facility until the local shelter can come pick him up. Until then, they'll have his chipped scanned and contact his owners (if he has
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  • 13
    any), and make sure he's taken care of and is healthy. If it turns out he has no chip to contact his owners, they'll make sure he's all good and then from there the shelter will take over. They said
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  • 14
    the shelter will put him on a stray watch list for a few days just in case his owners turn up. If they never turn up, he'll be officially put up for adoption!
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  • 15
    This poor puppy was showing signs of a , and I suspect he was been and abandoned by whoever had him before. He must've also been abandoned in the
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    wild for some time for him to have so many ticks and fleas when I found him. I'm so thankful to have a local vet and shelter that cares so thoroughly for these animals.
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  • 17
    As much as I love this lil guy and totally bonded with him today, with my current situation I wouldn't be able to care for him as best as someone else could. I already have
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    three big dogs (German shepherd, German shepherd- husky mix, and a German shepherd- pit-golden retriever mix), a cat, and a tortoise; so taking on the responsibility of another puppy wouldn't be wise for
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  • 19
    me. I'll keep you all updated in the next few days! Let's hope he does have good owners, or that he's adopted by a loving family soon! Thank you guys for all of your support!
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  • 20
    UPDATE 1.5: When the veterinarian took him I made sure to make it clear to her that I thought he was abused. I remember saying something along the lines of "I'm here to
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    Cheezburger Image 10563164928
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  • 22
    find out if he has a chip since I found him in my neighborhood, but he seemed to be clearly abandoned and I suspect his old owners bt him."
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  • 23
    The vet was super sweet/receptive and could also tell just by how he was acting when she had to take him from me.
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  • 24
    I'm probably going to call them back sometime today and ask if I can be notified of any updates regarding him! Maybe I'll run into the papa dog today as well-who knows! If I do, I'll call it the doggie chronicles haha
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  • 25
    UPDATE 2: He is officially up for adoption at my local shelter! It seems like they've given him a name: Ranchero! They also gave him a physical description- I'll copy and paste it:
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  • 26
    "My name is Ranchero. I am a male, tricolor Pit Bull Terrier and German Shepherd Dog. Age: The shelter staff think I am about 4 months old. Weight: I weigh approximately 45.00 lbs."
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  • 27
    He was just taken off of the stray hold and is up for adoption today! Seems like he's doing good :) That's all for now! If there are any more future updates I'll post them in the comments!
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Tags

patient leash life found puppy fleas abandoned reddit story adopted health neglect dog story gentle wild rescue
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