This past summer, Texas resident Ashley Buchart came across a photo of a dog that stopped her in her tracks. While she was scrolling through a local Facebook group called The Dogs Need Our Help, she saw a post about a pup named Rocky who was in extremely
rough shape.
Most of Rocky’s fur was gone and he seemed to be having pain in his back legs. Buchart learned from the Facebook group that after Rocky’s owner died, he was left to his own devices and forced to survive on his own. A neighbor eventually noticed his deteriorated condition and asked for help from the Facebook group.
The post about Rocky stole Buchart’s heart, but she wasn’t quite ready to take him in yet. Luckily, a frequent foster named Donna took in Rocky for the first 48 hours so Buchart could get set up. Meanwhile, Mutts N Such Rescue, a partner of Best Friends Animal Society, sponsored all of Rocky’s care so Buchart had everything she needed to get started.
When Rocky arrived at Buchart’s home, she was surprised to find that the pup didn’t seem that nervous around her. It was Fourth of July weekend, and while the fireworks made Rocky a bit nervous, he trusted Buchart immediately.
“I think at that point he was just so shut down that he was just ready for somebody to take him in,” Buchart told The Dodo.
After everything Rocky had been through, he was exhausted. For the first time in a long time, he finally had a safe, comfortable place to rest.
“[H]e was such a trooper, walked right into the house, realized that was his bed in the corner and went straight to sleep,” Buchart said. “And he slept for two whole days.”
For the first few weeks Rocky was with Buchart, he spent a lot of time at the vet. He was dealing with mange, a severe flea allergy, dermatitis and heartworms.
“He was missing fur from all of his underbelly, most of his side, most of his backside,” Buchart said. “His backside was really weak. He was really dehydrated, underweight.”
But Buchart was surprised by how quickly Rocky’s condition turned around. Before long, his fur started growing in and his legs regained their strength. Most importantly, he started getting the zoomies on walks and jumping up and down whenever he was excited.
“[I] saw this shift where he went out of survival mode and into puppy mode,” Buchart said. “That, to me, was incredible.”
Buchart had initially just planned on fostering Rocky. But just a few weeks into him staying with her, she decided to keep him forever.
“I was like, ‘He’s never leaving here. He is home. And I couldn’t imagine a world of him being in any other home other than mine,’” Buchart said.
It’s been just two months since Buchart rescued Rocky, and already, she can’t imagine her life without him. She’s grateful to everyone who worked together to rescue him for giving him a second chance and bringing him into her life.
“It goes to show what some love and care and food, water and a good treatment plan can do for a dog,” Buchart said. “It’s just a night and day difference. You would never realize he was the same dog.”
