Duke was a poor dog. He was often seen sitting in an old armchair. He has nowhere else to go. If he wandered around to eat scraps, he would return to that armchair and remain there day and night. It was his one safe spot.
No one cared about Duke until a young man in the neighborhood took the time to take a photo of Duke and post it on Facebook. The young man mentioned that his mom had seen the dog in the neighborhood for a while.
He added that Duke was thin and covered in mange, then asked the public for help. Ysuhuaylas, a Texas-based volunteer for Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, saw the post. She contacted another volunteer and sent her out to get Duke as soon as possible.
The dog was very scared, and he didn’t really trust people. He was very wary. But luckily, the volunteer was able to get Duke into the car and drive him to an emergency vet clinic in Dallas.
Duke was dehydrated, anemic, flea and mange-infested, and had cataracts. His teeth were also filed down, which is a telltale sign of a bait dog.
Bait dogs are employed in the training of fighting dogs. They are often tied up, even taped to their mouths. What they have to go through is the most heartbreaking thing any animal should ever have to go through. It’s no surprise Duke felt at ease in that armchair.
Duke has been healing very well at the clinic, making strides with his confidence too. His skin is beginning to clear up and his eyes are looking better.
The volunteers are optimistic that he will recover completely. When that happens, Duke will be taken to NYC and placed for adoption.
