Original Article: https://blog.theanimalrescuesite.greatergood.com/golden-retriever-rescued-turkey/

Duncan is one very lucky golden retriever. The 10-year-old pup was only 48 hours away from dying in the streets of Dalaman, Turkey, when he was rescued. The poor dog had been abandoned, but he was found by 53-year-old charity founder, Lisa Smart.

Smart was able to save Duncan just in time and helped the senior dog get back to his full health. It was a turning point for both Smart and Duncan, who bonded with one another. The dog quickly won his way into Smart’s heart, and she adopted him.

Duncan went on to live with Smart in Eastbourne, Sussex. In the two years since his adoption, he’d made drastic strides in the improvement of his health. Smart shared that when she first found him, he was in terrible shape. The poor pooch had lost a lot of his fur from scratching himself due to fleas. On top of that, all the scratching had also caused his skin to become tough.

Smart added that besides the fleas and skin problems, the pooch also was suffering from kennel cough, eye infections, and ear infections. On top of that, Duncan also had a few spots on his face that were causing him pain.

And according to TYLA, Smart shared how she and the other Happy Paws Rescue volunteers immediately got him to a local vet for help. She noted that when he was found, Duncan was so weak that his back legs could not support him.

Smart is the founder of Happy Paws Puppy Rescue, which also cared for Duncan and paid his £1,000 vet bills. They also placed him in a foster family before flying him to the UK where Smart offered to foster him until he could be adopted. Naturally, he quickly became Smart’s foster fail, and she took him in.

The rescue would regularly rescue 200 dogs per year. As much as Smart’s heart breaks for all of them, she can’t adopt them all. However, there was about special about Duncan that just stuck with her – perhaps it was the fact that he was, as she described it, one of the worse cases of animal cruelty that she’d seen.

But it was Duncan’s spirit of overcoming adversity that made her love him. As she pointed out, that was the moment that she realized that she couldn’t let him go.

And thanks to Smart’s love, as well as Duncan’s own determination, the pup bounced back. He became the best version of himself and is living his best life in the UK. Smart is quite proud of how far her dog has come in overcoming all the struggles in his life. His story is one that Smart hopes will encourage other people to adopt.

Smart’s charity, Happy Paws Puppy Rescue, mainly rescues golden retrievers from Turkey. If you want to find out more information or get involved, you can click here.

Source: The Animal Rescue Site Blog