Charlie Skin and Bones, Rescuing a Dog in Distress

I was coming home from work on December 12, 2018, when I noticed a filthy dog walking slowly through oncoming traffic. His tail was tucked between his legs and his head faced the road he walked on. He didn't dodge the oncoming cars, in fact, he never looked at the cars. It almost seemed like he wanted to get hit by one. Once across the street, I watched people pass by him as if he was a ghost and didn't exist. Seeing him so lonely and despondent made me incredibly sad and I decided that I had to do something.

I stopped my car and approached the dog as he sat huddled under a scraggly bush in the Dollar General parking lot. The cloak of sheer despair he wore will live with me forever. His eyes spoke volumes. He had given up. Given up on himself and given up on people. He cowered from me as I spoke to him and held out my hand for him to smell. I quietly told him that I would be right back then ran into the store and picked up a bag of dry food.

As I approached the dog with the food I just purchased he ran from me across 3 lanes of traffic. He never bothered to look at the cars that whizzed past him. He stopped in the median so I followed him as quickly as I could and opened the bag of food. He was just about to run across three more lanes of traffic as I dumped the kibble on the ground and he must have smelled it because he came back and started to eat.

As he was eating, someone I knew from work stopped and lent me a leash that I was able to slip around the dog's neck. Miraculously he didn't mind. I walked him back to my car and to my surprise, he jumped in the back seat! I was happy I had gotten him into my car but was apprehensive to take him home because of the five dogs I already have. I didn't know what kind of dog he was. I didn't know what behavior issues he had. I didn't know if he would fit in with my pack or even if my husband would allow him to stay.

It took a while to get him into the house when I arrived home. My dogs were very curious about the new arrival and the poor dog was frightened by all of the attention he was getting from his new canine friends. He growled, but he didn't bite any of them.

It was obvious that he had been outside for a long time because he was covered in black grime, and boy did he stink. He had to have 3 baths before I could get the noxious filth that covered his body off of him. He still smelled bad even after his baths and after lifting his ears I discovered why. He had a raging ear infection. I cleaned his ears and used some medication that I had left over from one of my other dogs. He never flinched once as I dug an ungodly amount of black goo out of each ear. That night, after he ate a bowl of food, he slept directly underneath me under my bed. He stayed there the next day until I came home from work. This went on for several days.

Fast-forward 2 weeks and you wouldn't recognize the poor, scared, emaciated dog I brought home. His ribs, backbone, and pelvis are barely visible. His beautiful white coat is soo soft, and best of all he smiles. He smiles all the time. He spends his days frolicking with my other dogs instead of hiding under my bed but never lets me out of his sight. He follows me from room to room and likes to take rides in the car. He is excellent on a leash and loves to take walks. I named him Charlie after my late grandfather but his whole name is Charlie Skinnbones. You can follow his progress on Instagram where I am posting updates daily. He is no longer food aggressive or pottying in the house. He is a big, goofy, affectionate dog and is slowly learning how to trust people. He has assimilated into my "pack" but is having trouble adjusting to my children's dogs when they come to visit.

It's going to take some time but I see a great future for Charlie. He is a great dog and I already love him. He needs to go to the vet for a check-up and shots. He also needs to be neutered. If you want to stay updated on Charlie's progress please check him out on Instagram.

What kind of dog do you think Charlie is? Leave your guess in the comment section below.