A sick dog, which was attacked by other dogs and lost his nose, is desperately in need of a home. Thanks to a local news story, he now has a ton of potential dog-moms and dog-dads.
Sniffles the dog has had a difficult life so far after being abandoned in Puerto Rico, where he was attacked by other stray dogs and developed a wide range of medical conditions.
However, since Sniffles traveled to the US for medical treatment, and a Florida-based animal rescue shared his story, he is now doing significantly better and may soon find a home.
It's thought that Sniffles endured abhorrent living circumstances in Puerto Rico. He has whipworms and hookworms, among other parasites, and his teeth need to be fixed immediately.
Also, he no longer has a nose because, according to reports, other stray dogs attacked him, leaving him with several injuries and other illnesses.
He was eventually adopted out to a family in the US after being found in Puerto Rico by a local animal rescue organization, where it was thought he could get better medical care.
His employment, however, was short-lived because Sniffles needed ongoing medical care, and his continual running away put him in danger.
He was eventually adopted by Poodle and Pooch Rescue in Florida, a volunteer-run organization that saves 500–600 dogs annually.
He was taken in by the rescue on December 19, and they immediately got to work trying to find him a home. As a result, he was featured on WESH, an Orlando news station, on December 24.
Sniffles' luck changed after that. His story has spread, and at least 100 people have called the shelter to express interest in adopting him.
He will require an adopter who is committed to cleaning his nasal passage twice daily and providing him with daily eye drops for a condition known as dry eye, as stated by a spokesperson for the shelter, Rebecca Lynch, in a statement to DailyMail.com.
He has a lot of parasites, including whipworms and hookworms, which suggests that his living conditions before entering our care were unhygienic.
Additionally, he had a positive test for the tick-borne illness Ehrlichia. He is receiving treatment, and he should fully recover.
Sniffles is resilient and still loves people despite his ailments and difficulties.
"Sniffles is a strong young boy," Lynch continued. "Despite his past, and after displaying some timidity and confusion at first, Sniffles has started to come out of his shell."
"He enjoys cuddling, wags his tail, spends time outside, gets along well with other dogs, and due to his illness, he makes sweet tiny snorting noises."
He's a cute and content puppy, and we're delighted that his story has received so much attention since airing locally in Central Florida.
"Sniffles' appearance is unusual, but sadly, his narrative is not. Every week, we accept a number of special needs dogs into our rescue, including Sniffles.
The rescue hopes people who don't take Sniffles home will adopt another special needs pet, give to, or foster animals while they are still considering some of the wonderful options they have for him.
Genesis Diaz, a neighborhood resident, has been caring for Sniffles in the interim.
She told WESH that when she woke up this morning, he was staring at her from the side of her bed. He then ran over, did a little twirl, and began licking her face.
The animal rescuers are also enamored.
"He's just a great old man," I said. He has won the hearts of everyone at the vet clinic, according to Michelle Wacker, the organization's medical director. He is a sound dog. He just has a weird appearance."