Hobbes, a senior dog, was found wandering the streets of Tijuana, Mexico in May. The canine was completely emaciated and suffering from a severe case of sarcoptic mange.
Luckily, he was spotted by a kind passerby who refused to leave the dog alone in such a critical condition. Hobbes was brought to The Barking Lot Shelter in San Diego, California.The no-kill shelter was ready to give the dog all the attention that he needed, however, they quickly realized that he was a senior dog and knew of another nearby shelter that could provide Hobbes with more specialist care.They contactedKelly Smíšek, the executive director of theFrosted Faces Foundation(FFF), who was more than happy to welcome to the dog.
When Hobbes arrived at his new home, staff were shocked by his condition. A dog of his size and breed should weigh around 70 pounds, but the emaciated dog weighed only 39 pounds, making him dangerously underweight.His fur and skin had also been ravaged by sarcoptic mange, a condition in which mites burrow into the skin, and which left untreated, can become fatal.Staff quickly began to build up Hobbes’s strength and gave him the urgent medical care that he needed. While they were treating him, veterinarians found a microchip with details from 2007, meaning that the canine was 10-years-old.
Sadly, all the contact information was out of date but staff were able to discover that Hobbes had been adopted back in 2007.While it remains somewhat of a mystery how such a sweet dog ended up alone in Mexico, he is now getting all the love and care that he so desperately deserves and is getting stronger by the day.
After around 10 years on the streets fending for himself, Hobbes was understandably nervous and hesitant when he first arrived. However, he slowly began to accept his rescuers love and is now learning to trust humans again. Smíšek described to The Dodo:
It just rained today and we were sitting on the patio together when thunder cracked. I expected him to bark courageously as he does, but instead he climbed onto the chair near me and visually quivered. It was a new emotion for me to witness, as I suspected him to always be tough from the streets and gratefully gentle to be safe with us, but fear was a new side.