Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/clifford-rescue-dog-limp/

Hope For Paws is no stranger to helping abandoned pups, strays, and other dogs off the street.

But when they received a call to help an injured dog at an apartment complex, they found an unexpectedly sad situation. A neighbor informed them that “the dog’s owner left for cancer treatment two months prior and sadly never returned.”

Right then, they knew they needed to rescue this dog and find him a new forever home, to make up for the tragic loss that he had experienced but could never understand.

“He had not been touched in a long time and was terrified of humans,” the team noted, which made helping him difficult. To make matters worse, they were unsure why but he was developing a worsening limp. He needed medical care quickly.

Once they’d found his hiding place, they were able to block all but one exit and net him fairly quickly. He resisted and fought for his freedom, but they were able to calm him down enough to get him into a crate. Then, they transferred him to a waiting car and whisked him to the hospital!

“At the hospital, it was determined that he stepped through his collar that was improperly placed on him. The collar got embedded in his armpit and caused a very painful infection. Once the collar was removed and the wound cleaned, he received antibiotics and much-needed pain killers,” the team wrote.

They decided to name the little guy Clifford — aside from size, he’s got a lot in common with the friendly red dog! Now in a foster home, his health has improved drastically.

“This is why it is so important to create a living trust and a will to protect your pets,” the team notes. To that end, Hope For Paws has created a tool to help owners make sure their pets are cared for in the event of an unexpected passing.

Watch Clifford’s rescue in the video below:

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog