Can You Help This Little Dog Learn to Love Again?

Bethany was just poking around in her yard in rural North Carolina, minding her own business, when suddenly, they were on her. The two large dogs came out of nowhere and proceeded to fling her around like a rag doll. Helpless to defend herself, the 15-pound Chihuahua mix shrieked in terror. Hearing her cries, her owners ran out and scared off the larger dogs, but not before she sustained serious injuries, including a severe gash under her front leg that went all the way down to the bone.

Bethany’s owners couldn’t afford to take the little dog to a veterinarian, even though she desperately needed emergency care, and misguidedly poured Pine-Sol over her wound, which only made it worse. She was in serious trouble by the time her owners contacted PETA for help. The wound had become infected, and she was in a great deal of pain, unable to put any weight on the injured leg.

PETA’s fieldworkers rushed her to an emergency vet, where X-rays revealed that the injured leg wasn’t broken, as we had initially feared. But the tissue in her wounded leg had become necrotic, so it had to be surgically removed by a PETA veterinarian. Then, the wound was cleaned, drainage tubes were inserted, an antibacterial dressing was applied, and Bethany was put on a course of antibiotics.

But she wasn’t out of the woods yet—more tissue became necrotic and had to be surgically removed. But now, several weeks later, she’s on the mend and expected to make a full recovery from her physical wounds.

Her psychological wounds, however, may take a bit longer to heal.

Like anybody who has been through a harrowing near-death experience, Bethany appears to be suffering from PTSD. Initially, she was so fearful, hypervigilant, and suspicious of strangers that she was nearly unapproachable.

But we had a feeling that with love, affection, and a safe place where she felt secure, she might come around. And we were right.

Thanks to the patience and understanding of her foster family (not to mention lots of dog treats), Bethany is learning to trust again. Her foster mom reports that she’s like a different dog—loving, cheerful, and playful. She especially loves curling up in her comfy dog bed and climbing into her foster mom’s lap for snuggles.

While Bethany has made good progress with her foster family, she continues to struggle with trusting most people, especially males. She still has a long road ahead of her and is in search of a quiet home with a very patient family (without other animals) who can continue her rehabilitation. She is nervous in new situations and can become frightened easily, so her new family should take measures to ensure that her home life is stable and predictable.

If you think you have what it takes to teach this traumatized little dog how wonderful the world can be, please drop us a line at [email protected].