Duke is one of those puppies with a touching and sobering story. There are many people who remember him; it has been many months since he was rescued, he has experienced terrible cruelty having gone through neglect, hunger and pain.

This puppy had no chance of living if it had not been for the work of the people who voluntarily intervened so that today we can tell his story.He has survived and with all his injuries he was able to give the only thing he has: love.

As a ten month old puppy, he was left all alone, abandoned and chained to an old and unusable trailer on the outskirts of a village in the city of Bulgaria, under the cruelest quarantine, without food or water. How sad!

They called him “the untouchable” because he supposedly had a dangerous disease and no one should go near him, the truth is that he had been discarded by his owners with the sole intention of ending his life.
It had been 10 days of being there, resisting this ordeal, going hungry and cold, so much pain!

The only food he received were some leftovers left by a few passersby who passed by the place, perhaps without knowing the atrocity that was being committed with this poor innocent being, the only thing he needed was a hero to rescue him. It seemed that he was destined to die.

But a woman who lived in the village, saw this little dog and realized the situation he was in and the great suffering he was going through, he needed to be urgently taken out of that hell. She intervened to seek help by calling the charity “Rudozem Street Dog Rescue” which works with animals in need. Tony Rowles, co-founder of the rescue center, immediately came to investigate.

This little guy couldn’t go anywhere, feces surrounded him, there was a strong smell of ammonia, there were lots of flies, his condition revealed malnutrition, his front legs were bent.

He relates that the experience of this encounter with Duke was very overwhelming, even though he was trembling, understandably terrified, he had the strength to respond and say thank you by kissing the first hand extended to him and wagging his tail. He didn’t know it but from that instant his life would be totally different, freed from the heavy emotional and physical chains.

The center’s shelter was overcrowded, so Tony decided to take Duke home, he was going to have the company of the family’s dogs and cats, “Even though he was fine when we made first contact on the day of the rescue, at home you could see in his movements a strong fear of people, he tried to stay away, it took him several weeks to feel safe, he made a special bond with my wife Diane”. He had no apparent illness, it turned out that the only thing contagious about Duke was his charm.

The chain that held him had damaged his throat causing him to cough acutely. It was shocking and heartbreaking to discover that his paws had been mangled by past abuse.

The vet took x-rays and the results revealed the trauma, “They were obviously broken, his feet were shattered, they had ligaments destroyed so his bones were just floating on his feet.” Unbelievable what this boy has had to endure.

He was going to get all the help he needed to try to heal his injured legs. He was a brave boy and couldn’t stop showing his enthusiasm despite the difficulties. a fighter!

After months of surgeries and wearing splints on his paws, Duke began to recover, both inside and out, he was finally able to walk again with his reconstructed paws.

In addition to feeling that he was protected and everything was going to be okay in his life, that cruel past was behind him, “we knew the time had come, he was ready for adoption,” said Tony.
Then something incredible and totally unexpected happened for everyone, someone called to adopt our boy Duke.

Since the rescue group “Rudozem Street Dog Rescue” began its charitable work eight years ago, more than a thousand dogs have found homes, some have crossed borders and are with their families in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Belgium, the United States and now Duke would undertake a trip to England with the person who captivated him, Diane Romaine would become his family.

“It was a tearful goodbye,” Tony recalls, and even more tears were shed in England with an emotional greeting of welcome. Duke is with a family full of love.

Two years have passed and many have wanted to know how this dear friend is doing, Diane kindly sent the images with Duke’s greetings.

What a joy to know that he is living getting something he never stopped having in his noble heart and always deserved to have, with this new opportunity his life totally changed for the better.

A blessing and happy ending for the once chained being called the “untouchable”. From his rescue the only bondage he wore was a human chain of love that has touched the hearts of many.

Thank you to all those people who generously extend their helping hand for the furry street dogs and become the heroes who change their lives forever and the families who take them in as a member of their family by giving them a second chance to know love and happiness.
So that this chain of love continues to spread, so that no one is indifferent to the suffering of a puppy and can continue to touch the heart of someone else, share your message with this touching story.