‘Bad’ Dog Becomes Poachers’ Nightmare, ‘Eye-Less’ Dog Adopted To Forever Home


In the latest animal news, one bothersome dog turns to fighting crime, and another canine with a traumatic injury finds a forever home.

In Zambia, a dog named Ruger was considered a “bad dog.” Apparently, he was aggressive and would frequently bark at people without provocation

Many owners would have abandoned this troublesome dog, but luck was on his side. Thankfully, his overall personality made him very easy to train, and he would go on to arrest more than 150 poachers as Zambia’s first anti-poaching dog, according to the Guardian.

Ruger’s life started in Blackfeet Reservation, Montana. When he was very young, The dog’s owner shot his brothers and sisters, but he was able to escape. Eventually, Ruger wound up in a shelter, where he was noticed by a trainer.

This animal handler decided to tell the Working Dogs for Conservation (WD4C) about Ruger. After some debate, the WD4C took an interest. Initially, Ruger’s personality made it difficult to get him to do basic tasks, such as getting him into small spaces.

However, many people have reported it was harder to get him to go to the veterinarian. Nevertheless, this was not what nearly prevented Ruger from becoming an anti-poaching dog.

Some have reported that Megan Parker, the director of research at WD4C, was receiving word that Ruger was under qualified for the position. Pete Coppolillo, the group’s executive director, weighed in.

“If a dog doesn’t work out, we make sure they have a forever home. We all wondered if Meg should start finding a place for Ruger, who was losing his sight.

“These dogs have an unrelenting drive. For a dog that doesn’t stop, you can train that dog to bring you things.”

Eventually, Parker contacted the Delta Team scouts, a law enforcement unit run by the South Luangwa Conservation Society and the Zambia Wildlife Authority. Ruger was able to prove his keen searching abilities on his first day with the scouts.

Ruger was able to find a primer cap, which is used to ignite gunpowder in the illegal muzzle loaders used by poachers, while other dogs were unable to do so. Since joining the Delta Team, Ruger has been quite helpful, Coppolillo added.

“It takes humans an hour or more to search a car, whereas it takes dogs three to four minutes.”

Overall, Ruger has been able to make dozens of arrests and has convinced many that once called him violent that he is a good pooch. Furthermore, members of the Delta Team scouts welcome Ruger as a member of their family and find his assistance very useful.

Recently, a 2-year-old dog named Ashton was brought to an animal shelter after he was found in dreadful condition. When Ashton arrived, both of his eyes were dangling partially outside of their sockets and had to be removed immediately; it was a medical emergency.

A passerby found Ashton blindly wandering the streets of Arizona with both of his eyes nearly out of their sockets. To help the animal, the bystander brought the dog to the local animal hospital. There, staff quickly rushed him into surgery.

Luckily, the doctors were able to save Ashton’s life. Sadly, his eyes could not be salvaged during the operation. According to the surgeons, one of Ashton’s eyes had been damaged long before his discovery, while the other was a more recent injury.

Nevertheless, due to the conditions of both eyes, they had to be removed to save Ashton’s life. Reportedly, without his eyes, finding Ashton a forever home proved to be a difficult undertaking for the Phoenix dog, according to ABC 15.

While trying to locate the dog a new owner, the Arizona Humane Society also attempted to help Ashton adapt to life without sight. However, this also made finding Ashton a forever home harder, as the new owners were required to have “extreme patience” while Ashton continued his treatment and rehab.

Still, this did not prevent Ashton from eventually finding a forever home. Ashton’s new family is convinced they will be able to provide him with a loving home he deserves.

Despite his horrible start, Ashton is currently a jubilant animal, and is described as being “full of pep and life.” His new owners have promised to do whatever it takes to make the rest of Ashton’s life very joyful.

Animal lovers, we dare you to have a dry eye after reading this touching story.

[Shutterstock/wellphoto]

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