A sick dog who lost his nose after being attacked by other dogs is sorely in need of a home — and now, due to a local news story, he has loads of prospective dog-moms and dog-dads.
Sniffles the dog has had a difficult life so far after being abandoned in Puerto Rico, where he was assaulted by other stray dogs and had a wide range of medical conditions.
Nevertheless, since Sniffles traveled to the US for medical treatment and a Florida-based animal rescue shared his tale, he is now doing significantly better and may soon find a home.
It’s thought that Sniffles had awful living circumstances in Puerto Rico. He has whipworms and hookworms, among other parasites, and his teeth need to be fixed immediately.
Also, he no longer has a nose because, according to reports, other stray dogs attacked him, leaving him with several wounds and other health issues.
After he was discovered in Puerto Rico by a local animal rescue group, he was finally adopted out to a family in the US, where it was believed he could obtain better medical treatment.
His employment, however, was short-lived. Because Sniffles needed ongoing medical care, his continual running away put him in danger.
He was eventually adopted by Poodle and Pooch Rescue in Florida, a volunteer-run group that saves 500–600 dogs annually.
He was taken in by the rescue on December 19 and they immediately got to work trying to find him a home. As a result, he was featured on WESH, an Orlando news station, on December 24.
Sniffles’ fortunes changed after that. His tale has spread, and at least 100 individuals have phoned the shelter to show interest in adopting him.
He will require an adoptive who is committed to cleaning his nasal passage twice daily and who will provide him with daily eye drops for a condition known as dry eye, A spokesman for the shelter, Rebecca Lynch, told DailyMail.com in a statement
He has a lot of parasites, including whip worms and hook worms, which suggests that his living conditions before entering our care were unhygienic.
Also, he had a positive test for the tick-borne illness Ehrlichia. He is receiving treatment, and he should fully recover.
Sniffles is tough and still loves people in spite of his infirmities and difficulties.
Sniffles is a strong little guy, Lynch continued. Despite his history, and after displaying some timidity and confusion at first, Sniffles has started to come out of his shell.
He enjoys cuddling, wags his tail, spends time outside, gets along well with other dogs, and due to his illness, he makes sweet tiny snorting noises.
He’s a cute and content puppy, and we’re delighted that his story has received so much attention since airing locally in Central Florida.
“Sniffles’ appearance is unusual, but sadly, his narrative is not. Every week, we receive a number of special needs dogs into our rescue, including Sniffles.
The rescue hopes people who don’t take Sniffles home would adopt another special needs pet, contribute to, or foster animals while they are still considering some of the wonderful options they have for him.
Genesis Diaz, a neighborhood resident, has been caring for Sniffles in the interim.
She told WESH that when she woke up this morning, he was staring at her from the edge of her bed. He then ran over, did a little twirl, and began licking her face.
The animal rescuers are also enamored.
“He’s simply a great old man,” I said. He has won the hearts of everyone at the vet clinic, according to Michelle Wacker, the organization’s medical director. He is a sound dog. He just has a weird appearance.
