In May, Stephanie Smith-Justus was the recipient of a phone call from a neighbor who was concerned. A dog that was in dire need of aid had just been brought to his attention, and he was at a loss for what to do.
Smith-Justus, who works at a city shelter and also manages the no-kill Buchanan County Humane Society in Virginia, grabbed her husband and ran down to the end of her street, where a neighbor claimed to have seen the puppy. Smith-Justus was able to save the dog.
By the time she had finished searching through the thick forest, she was prepared to give up. On the other hand, her husband eventually found the dog, which was resting in a patch of weeds at the end of the road for some time. The words that he spoke to Stephanie were, “I don’t think he’s going to live.” According to Smith-Justus, The Dodo was informed.
Smith-Justus, who works at a city shelter and also manages the no-kill Buchanan County Humane Society in Virginia, grabbed her husband and ran down to the end of her street, where a neighbor claimed to have seen the puppy. Smith-Justus was able to save the dog.
By the time she had finished searching through the thick forest, she was prepared to give up. On the other hand, her husband eventually found the dog, which was resting in a patch of weeds at the end of the road for some time. The words that he spoke to Stephanie were, “I don’t think he’s going to live.” According to Smith-Justus, The Dodo was informed.
In the beginning, it seemed as though he had been burned by the heat,” Smith-Justus recalled. The puppy, who was only four months old at the time, was coated in a severe case of demodectic mange, which he had most certainly received from his mother. “It was a very unfortunate event,” she said. You should think of it as a burn of the second degree.
As luck would have it, a veterinarian had just moved into a house down the block, so Smith-Justus and her husband quickly gathered the young puppy and made their way to be with the veterinarian. According to her explanation, “We didn’t even knock.” “What I did was simply dash in with him and enter her home.”
After observing the dog, which was ultimately given the name Watkins after the street on which he was found, the veterinarian had a feeling that something was awry. In his explanation, Smith-Justus stated, “She claimed that he was dying.”
They took him to the veterinarian’s office, where they found out that the first issue with his skin was just the beginning of his issues. He had already been shot multiple times with a pellet gun. Not only did he weigh barely 34 pounds, but he had gone so long without eating that his intestines had completely collapsed.
A consequence of his malnutrition was that his ankles did not develop in the proper manner. According to Smith-Justus, “His tendons had decreased in their degree of flexibility.” It was impossible for him to even stand on his paw pads. When he walked, he slouched down on his wrists, which made it a terrible experience to watch him.
The mange was so severe that it was threatening to cause his frail body to collapse. As Smith-Justus recalled, “He was literally pouring with fluids,” he was describing a moist area that surrounding him wherever he sat and measured eight inches in diameter. It was just that he was so puffy.
Despite the fact that Smith-Justus was heartbroken by Watkins’ predicament and had a strong desire to assist him, she placed the utmost importance on doing what was most charitable.
She expressed her understanding to the veterinarian by saying, “If he is so terrible, if you need to euthanize him, I understand, but I want to do what is best for him.” “‘Let’s help him,’ she urged,” they said.
However, it was never an easy task. Almost immediately after being carried to the clinic, Watkins experienced a twisting of his bowels, which prompted him to undergo emergency surgery. The physician did not anticipate that Watkins would recover from the procedure.
Smith-Justus asserted that she had informed him that he would not survive and that he should be farewelled immediately. In addition, he continued to be in good spirits the following morning.
However, after a few weeks had passed, the situation became even more dire. He stopped eating, which resulted in him dropping 34 pounds and necessitating the insertion of a feeding tube, which he eventually was able to chew off. The rehabilitation process that Smith-Justus underwent was described as “a comedy of mistakes.”
119 days were spent by Watkins at the veterinarian’s office, and he also spent some time in the intensive care unit at Virginia Tech. Furthermore, as he struggled to recover from the challenges he had faced in the beginning of his existence, something that was equally significant started to take place.
Smith-Justus started getting messages of support from people all over the world who had heard Watkins’ story and wanted to wish him well on his journey to recovery. These encouraging comments came from people who wanted to wish Watkins the best of luck. Blankets and dog beds started coming in from all across the United States and even even from other countries; one family flew to several different states in just to visit him.
Over 12,000 people are currently following a Facebook page that details his experience and is dedicated to chronicling it.
He must have struck a chord with them in the same way that it did with me, according to Smith-Justus, who claimed that his images and his story must have done the same.
In addition, Watkins was able to travel back to his hometown with Smith-Justus on July 11 because to the persistence of his fans and the army of people that supported him.
Without a doubt, he did not have no medical professionals in his life. It was necessary for him to visit the veterinarian on Tuesdays in order to treat a persistent ear infection, and on Thursdays, he was required to undergo “puppy chemo” in order to eradicate the demodectic mange.
One thing that continued to amaze everyone was his dogged determination. Smith-Justus made an appointment to have his legs evaluated following the continuation of the dysfunction that he was experiencing in his legs. However, just as she was about to take him and take him with her, Watkins took another enormous step – quite literally. Immediately after that, he rose up and started walking in the manner that was expected of him, as Smith-Justus explained. The phrase “I am at a loss for words”
Over the course of the subsequent few months, Watkins progressively recovered, and although he is still recovering at the present time, he is significantly closer to becoming a content and healthy 10-month-old puppy than anyone could have possibly imagined.
At the same time, he is consistently rewarding Smith-Justus, as well as her friends and family, with his growth. Even though he used to be terrified of cars and people who eat marijuana, he now finds pleasure in traveling by car. Running around in the yard, something he only learned to do a few weeks ago without weeping, has helped him regain his self-assurance and has already helped him become stronger.
The words that she spoke were, “He is such a delight; such a nice puppy.” He began to feel stronger, his skin became healthier, and his ears became more developed.
In addition, Watkins has discovered a best friend in his toy lobster, which he will put in his water bowl until nighttime, at which point he will retrieve it and cuddle with it.
In addition, Watkins is surprisingly full of affection, despite the fact that he had a challenging childhood. When Smith-Justus recently took in a group of soot-covered kittens and their mother, who had been injured in a house fire, Watkins immediately jumped in to adopt them. Watkins washed the kittens while their terrified mother watched.
In order to manage the stress that he is experiencing as a result of his medical treatments, Watkins is currently taking Prozac. He has a long road ahead of him. On the other hand, each new day reveals more of the little dog that Watkins had buried beneath all of the suffering he had as a child.
Although they expressed their hope and prayers for him, the medical professionals at Virginia Tech advised me that they did not believe he had a decent chance of survival… We were all taken aback by him,” she continued. “In all honesty, he is a miracle.”
This is the place where you may make a contribution to Watkins’ ongoing veterinary bills if you would like to do so.
You might provide a permanent home for a dog like Watkins if you want to help ensure that additional pets are not abandoned like Watkins; you may identify dogs in your region that are in need of adoption by visiting Adopt-a-Pet.com.
