A homeless puppy was frozen stiff after allegedly being soaked in industrial glue by some kids. His traumatizing condition was a heartbreaking sight for his rescuers, but his transformation has to be seen to be believed.
Subdued and terrified, the little dog was believed to be around 4 months old when he arrived at He'Art of Rescue International in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2017; his rescuers named him Pascal.
Talking to The Epoch Times, the charity’s founder, Rima Nur, said when she first saw Pascal he looked “like a statue.” The brave Pascal then endured the uncomfortable treatment to remove the glue from his body, and before long, he started to regain hope.
Nur believes Pascal had been targeted by animal abusers. He was initially picked up and taken to Istanbul’s public shelter, where He'Art of Rescue International pulled him out immediately, recognizing the need to act fast.
Heartbreaking footage from the rescue organization shows Pascal cowering beneath a table at the veterinary clinic, barely able to stand with his limbs bound by dried glue. The veterinary team shaved Pascal to reveal pink raw skin beneath the dried glue; the little dog, in the early stages of his recovery, had a long road ahead of him.
Pascal’s team quickly realized that drowning in glue was not the only affliction that the puppy was suffering. He tested positive for canine parvovirus, a contagious virus that can have an extremely high mortality rate if left untreated.
“[Pascal] was fighting with parvo,” said Nur, who is also studying to become a medical doctor.
“He was fighting with the glue he was covered with, and also the psychological trauma of everything that happened to him. One of his ears had clotted because of the glue. So we didn’t know if his ear would heal or if it would have to be amputated. Fortunately, it did heal.”
For the next two months, until the summer of 2017, Pascal endured his treatment for parvovirus. As his skin, and psychological trauma, also began to heal, so the puppy’s fighting spirit returned. As Pascal grew fitter and stronger day by day, so his story was going viral online.
“Everybody wants to follow him,” Nur said, “wanted to see what was happening to him, and it was a blessing.”
Eventually, Pascal moved into a boarding house with other dogs to be socialized. His transformation from an abused homeless puppy to a strong adult dog was almost complete. Then came an interesting invitation.
Pascal, by now “internet famous” for overcoming his unthinkable ordeal, was invited to appear on primetime Spanish television as an advocate for animal rescue. Nur accepted on Pascal’s behalf. The dog and his guardians met comedian and TV host Dani Rovira in Madrid, who publicized the fact that Pascal still needed a forever home.
“That night, our mail system locked completely,” Nur said. “There were thousands of emails coming [in]. It was a very, very good feeling because it’s so nice to know that the world cares, that people care.”
The beautiful bouncy Shepherd-mix soon found his forever home with an “awesome family” in Valencia, Spain, where he continues to thrive.
While taking a pause to celebrate Pascal’s incredible outcome, Nur lamented the fact that his story is not unique. Animal cruelty, she explained, is commonplace in Turkey; one saving grace is that people are becoming increasingly conscious of its existence, she said.
Nur said when she started this charity it was just her at the beginning, and she started rescuing animals in her country. Today, He'Art of Rescue International is registered in Amsterdam and has shelters worldwide. While Nur is aware of the fact that they cannot save every animal in need, she implores others to remember that every effort counts.
