When you looked into Oliver’s eyes, all you could see was one thing: The longing to give up.
His skin was in terrible condition and he had lost almost all of his fur.
Across his body there were deep scores and scratches – that’s what happens when you have insatiable itching and are forced to repeatedly scratch it.
When Stephanie found Oliver at a dog shelter, he was sitting in a cage. He’d been rescued from the street by a good-hearted animal lover.
But Oliver was still shaking with fear and didn’t know where he was. Unsure of his surroundings, he was a dog at rock bottom.
Nobody knew how long Oliver, just a 1-year-old pup, had lived in misery on the streets, but it was clear that nobody had been looking after him for a very long time.
Stephanie, who would become Oliver’s foster mom, found him in a dog shelter. She told The Dodo:
“He had the worst case of mange I have ever seen. I walked by his cage and literally just started crying. He was shaking and licking his paws … Several spots on his body were bleeding because of how raw and infected it was.”
Stephanie immediately contacted Tanner Smith, an animal protection worker at the Humox Society of Knox County. She asked him to get Oliver out of the animal shelter and into a loving foster home.
“When I first saw him, I just fell in love instantly,” Smith told The Dodo. “He looked so bad. I knew we needed to help him.”
Despite the ongoing pain Oliver was obviously in, it was clear that this pit bull would be loved.
When volunteers at the shelter sat down and started to play with him, Oliver rolled around and wagged his tail.
Although much of his past remains unclear, Stephanie and Tanner think he definitely belonged to someone before he ended up on the streets.
“He was not malnourished when he was found,” Lee said. “It seems like he was someone’s dog and they didn’t take him to the vet when his skin started getting bad. They just dumped him when he didn’t get better.”
After a complete assessment from a veterinarian, Oliver was diagnosed with the mange, as well as secondary skin infections. Stephanie and her husband, Johnny, set up a room in their own home and brought Oliver back to stay with them so that he could wait for adoption.
“He was so uncomfortable that he’d just be tossing and turning all night,” Lee said. “He really didn’t sleep well for a while.”
Foster mom Lee continued to give Oliver gentle baths every day, along with the medication to help his skin recover. She then massaged him with lotion and coconut oil to reduce the irritation and help Oliver to stop scratching himself.
“Most dogs would try to escape the bath or get really stressed out,” Lee said. “But he would just sit there very calmly, like he knew that I was trying to help him. It was pretty awesome.”
After a four week cycle of daily baths, lotions and medicine, Oliver finally made a breakthrough. His terribly irritated skin began to heal itself and he was free from pain!
Oliver began to play games and enjoy life as every dog should.
“He stopped trying to rub his body everywhere to get relief,” Lee said. “He just opened up. He wanted love. He wanted to play. He wanted to go on walks. It was great to see him just be a normal, happy dog.”
Oliver quickly found an obsession with toys… one only topped by his love of Stephanie.
He was pleased to meet new people and other dogs while out on walks. You can just tell what an incredible change he has undergone.
“He’s just a big puppy who wants to play,” Lee said. “But he can be super lovey and affectionate and cuddly.”
After six weeks with his foster parents, Oliver was finally restored to the dog he was meant to be.
He’s now looking for the perfect family to spend his days with!
After seeing Oliver’s fight to recover, and his strength in overcoming the odds, Stephanie is looking forward to Oliver getting to live with his forever family.
“It’s like he’s experiencing love for the first time,” Smith said. “And he just loves everyone right back.”
Although this story is a sad one to begin with, I’m incredibly happy with how it turned out.
A huge thanks to all the animal heroes out there who rescue and take care of neglected dogs in need. To anyone who adopts those who need a new home… We salute you!
Please share this article on Facebook if you want to spread a little joy. Help us pay tribute to the wonderful dog Oliver, and his angel rescuers Stephanie and Johnny.
