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Tracy Lystra founder of The Saving Huey Foundation, an animal rescue charity and sanctuary in Southern California, received a call about a dog in desperate need of help. The poor puppy had his jaw and nose blown off after monsters strapped explosives in his mouth.

The 3-month-old dog’s jaw was blown to pieces and the rescue was not sure the pup would survive. Lystra said, “I was contacted by someone in Mexico about Brave Heart, they sent me a picture of him and my first instinct was to have the poor dog put down.”

“I had never done any rescue in that area so was unsure of the vets out there but a friend told me about Dr.Briseno, who thought he could help.” Brave Heart was brought to the local vet by the Good Samaritan that found him and the rescue agreed to pay for the necessary surgeries.

“While one side of the bottom jaw is severely damaged, the vet feels there’s enough remaining jaw for ‘Brave Heart’ to be able to eat and drink. The damage to the nose and nasal cavity has been cleared of necrotic tissue as well as sewn back together,” posted the rescue

Brave Heart underwent four surgeries to rebuild his muzzle with a prosthetic jaw. The road to recovery was long but the happy and friendly pup pulled through. After spending two months at the hospital recovering, it was time for him to make the 11-hour journey to the rescue.

“Shortly after coming to us he had the tube removed from his nose and this seemed to alleviate a lot of discomforts.”

He spent another two months at the rescue recovering before moving into the sanctuary with other rescue dogs.

While no one is certain of his past, vets believe the damage to the sweet pup was caused by firecrackers going off in his mouth. “Vets here had no idea what it was, and we nearly lost him but he has made a remarkable recovery. In Brave Heart’s case his surgeon in Mexico as well as the hospital staff here in the U.S. agree that it appears as if he had explosives put in his mouth. Because of the damage it is believed that the explosive was more than likely a firecracker,” states Lystra.

Brave Heart is a sweet and friendly boy who loves everyone he meets, even after suffering at the hands of humans. “He is so full of energy and love. He’s happiest when he’s lathering us with kisses,” wrote the rescue.

Lystra went on to say, “I would be lying if I said that late at night, I didn’t have awful thoughts as to what I would do to the people who commit such crimes. I am able to take a lot of what I see and hide it from my emotions, but there are times it definitely catches up with me.”

Brave Heart loves playing with the other rescue dogs at Huey’s Second Chance Ranch and will live the rest of his life surrounded by kind and loving people. Lystra said, “My only wish is that you could all experience a Brave Heart kiss.” Thank you to all involved in rescuing and the recovery of Brave Heart.

Watch the happy pup bark for cuddle time with his family in the video below.