A trap for foxes or wild boars is at the origin of the incredible story of Hooka young dog found in the countryside of Mileto, in the province of Vibo Valentia, by volunteers fromInternational Organization for Animal Protection (Oipa) with a foreleg completely stripped of flesh of which only the bone remained: a bone cleaned of skin, muscles and innervations (see photo). A heartbreaking scene. But Hook managed to survive and, when he was found, he was vital, resigned, but alive. You can’t imagine the pain he went through to free himself from the trap.
This is a story whose responsibility falls on those who, unscrupulously, set traps in the fields probably to defend adjacent private property from wildlife without adopting non-violent methods and causing atrocious deaths.
Yesterday Hook, who is about a year and a half old, underwent surgery and his paw was amputated. The operation was a perfect success and, as soon as he woke up, he was already on his feet taking his first steps.
Now a new life awaits him that is certainly better than the one he had before, given that he was found with a poor rubber collar around his neck: a piece of pipe used to transfer liquids closed with a wire passed inside it.
«When we found him we couldn’t believe our eyes: a dog with a bone instead of a paw and who, despite the hell he had been through, wagged his tail at us», says the delegate of theOipa of Vibo Valentia, Samantha Mercadante. «We immediately helped him, had him examined, he had ongoing septicemia, and put him in a stable at the home of one of our volunteers. He is a very beautiful little dog with an excellent character, he is so sweet. He was very strong: in pain and loneliness he managed on his own. He is our hero.”
Hook, as soon as he comes out of convalescence, can be adopted by those who can give him all the love possible and a home in which to live happily. A tripod dog, let’s remember, is a dog that can walk and run like a normal dog.
Hook, our Captain Hook, is the symbol of courage and redemption from the harm that soulless humans cause to animals.