Earlier this year, a two-year-old Pointer mix was found on the streets of Tijuana by a rescuer.
The unfortunate dog, now named Dwayne, was anxiously looking for food as locals flung boiling hot water and stones at him because of his defects. The rescuer then discovered the dog’s previous owner, who had bound his mouth with a cruel wire-muzzle and regularly kicked him with sticks.
The individual was in jail for an unrelated offense. Dwayne was abandoned on the streets to fend for himself. To make matters worse, he was attacked by two large dogs, suffering severe head injuries and nearly removing his ears.
Thanks to the rescuer, the pup thankfully made it to the Helen Woodward Animal Center, an animal shelter located in Rancho Santa Fe, California that holds a passionate belief that “animals help people and people help animals through trust, unconditional love, and respect creates a legacy of caring.”
Despite all of the horrific treatment the dog had endured, he had nothing but love to give to everyone he met. He’d drop his head, offer a lick, and softly rub his body against anyone who came close.
The Helen Woodward center was determined to give Dwayne the life he deserved. Over the course of months, specialists repaired his severely malformed front leg and elbow, as well as performed a facial reconstruction surgery to repair the extreme mutilation of his nose and mouth.
A renowned stem cell therapy institute, Vet-Stem Biopharma, even stepped up to offer cutting-edge treatment to help Dwayne’s healing process.
The technology harvests tissue from an injured animal and delivers the animal’s own healing stems back to the site of the injury and throughout the body by IV. The procedure usually costs around $2,500 but Dr. Schaffer of Vet-Stem Biopharma was so touched by Dwayne’s story, he offered the procedure for free.
The Helen Woodward Center, determined to employ all available contemporary medicine to assist cure his injuries, also gave laser therapy for the regions affected by his face reconstruction procedures.
Laser treatments have been shown to speed the healing process, reduce inflammation, as well as help with pain. The sweet pup as a trooper through it all.
Dwayne’s story touched the hearts of thousands of animal lovers who helped to raise over $40,000 for his recovery. The formerly abused and orphaned sweetheart of a dog was ready to find his forever home.
To ensure the best possible home for this sweet boy, the Helen Woodward Animal Center requested a 100 word-or-less essay or a one-minute video to accompany each application, stating why the potential adopter would be best suited to Dwayne, as well as several qualifications.
Generously, the center offered half off all of Dwayne’s medical expenses for life, just as long as his new family brings him into the center for his ongoing treatment.
After many applications to find Dwayne his forever home, the center finally found the perfect match with Kelly Nelle. Now, Dwayne is forgetting his traumatic past and learning to be a dog again.
Dwayne has couch access, lots of toys to play with and of course, the adoration of his human mom. We are ecstatic to see Dwayne beat the odds with his inspiring transformation.