Poor Pawcasso’s skin was so raw from sunburn that even the gentlest touch was TORMENT!

Sometimes we just shake our heads in disgust that people can be so cruel to dogs!

Our team was called to a place called Atlantis in South Africa’s Western Cape because local people were rioting there and taking their anger out on dogs.

We immediately rescued four dogs from rioters. One poor soul had acid thrown over her body, burning through her skin and causing her intense pain. We rushed her to a vet and thought that was enough horror to cope with for one day, but then we found Pawcasso…

It gets fiercely hot in South Africa at this time of year, with temperatures routinely breaching 100°F (that’s 38°C!). Pawcasso had been so badly neglected that he had contracted a skin disease that had eaten his fur and left large parts of his body without any protection from the merciless sun. His skin was so sunburnt that it was completely raw. There is very little shade in Atlantis and the sandy ground bakes so hard it cracks.

Poor gentle Pawcasso was being baked alive!

It just gets sadder. Somebody, and we so wish we knew who so we could lay criminal charges against them, threw Pawcasso away, dumping him at the side of a road and leaving him there to die, probably hoping a car would hit him (yes, people really do get rid of unwanted dogs by sacrificing them to cars). Poor Pawcasso could barely walk but he spotted an empty box and crawled inside of it to seek shelter from the fierce sun as he prepared to take his last breath.

That’s when we stepped in. A volunteer from Fallen Angels, a dog (and cat) rescue and shelter organization we support, spotted movement in the box… and there was Pawcasso!

Pawcasso was stick thin, his skin so raw from sunburn that even the gentlest touch was torment.

By the time we got there, Pawcasso had lost the will to live. He was very, very sick, covered in sores and suffering from multiple infections. At just eight months old and still a puppy, he had given up on humans and just lay there waiting to die.

We were not going to let that happen!

We rushed Pawcasso to a vet and made sure he got the best possible treatment - special cream for the severe sunburn, laser treatment for the wounds and antibiotics for the infections. He’s not anywhere near better yet, still lethargic and depressed, but we are fighting for Pawcasso and, with the help of your support, we will pay for the expensive medical treatment he needs.

Pawcasso needs urgent and intensive medical care,
but with your help we will not let him die!

Pawcasso is going to need long-term medical care and shelter, which he has found with our partner Fallen Angels. Fallen Angels cares for more than 300 dogs at the shelter - with our help, all of them are well fed, well treated and loved. Fallen Angels tries very hard to find dogs forever homes and that is our goal for Pawcasso. We want to give him the will to live and then find him an owner who will love him like he deserves. Your donation will make an enormous difference to Pawcasso and all the other abused dogs we help.

For the animals,

Brian and Gloria Davies (and Max and Flora!)
Founders
Network for Animals

P.S. Let us tell you something interesting. We went to Atlantis because the people were rioting and killing dogs. When we went into the township, the police told us we were crazy, but we went there bearing food and small treats for the dogs, and the rioters calmed down. How about that? It shows that a little love goes a long way.

We are helping the dogs who were riot victims and are paying for medical treatment and food for all of them, but we really do need your help for them and particularly for Pawcasso, so that we can make one of the saddest stories we know have a happy ending. Please donate generously today.