Barney was spotted wandering alone near the Barking Rabbit Rescue (BMDR) and when they first saw him, everyone there was shocked.
“We found Barny near a shelter in a small Romanian village called Nisipari,” Haley, head of BMDR’s adoption team, told The Dodo. “The sanctuary is remote, so we believe someone left him there for us to find. We don’t know where he came from or how he got into such a bad situation.”
Poor Barney was such a mess that he couldn’t even tell a dog apart. The little guy has clearly been through so much, and the new friends in the shelter just want to help him and finally make him feel comfortable in his own skin again.
“He was very scared and didn’t want to be touched or handled,” Haley said.
Since Barney was so nervous and his fur was badly matted, the vet decided that it would be easier for everyone if Barney sedated everyone while shaving the matted fur. That way, they can also repair any other damage, clean his teeth, and make sure he’s well cared for. It took multiple people hours to get him all sorted and ready to go – and when they were done he looked like a completely different dog.
Barney seems to be feeling a lot better after losing the weight of all the excess fur. He’s still wary of people and everyone knows he has a long way to go, but they’re all more than willing to go with him on that road.
It’s been six months now, and Barney is nothing like the one that arrived at the shelter. He still has some progress to do, but he’s come so far that everyone in the shelter loves watching him come out of his shell a little more each day.
“Barney is a really cheeky character who settles well in the shelter,” Haley said. “He’s learning to trust and getting better every day.”
Barney’s life has had a rough start, but he’s safe now and hopefully one day he’ll have the best new home to continue his journey.
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