A 10-year-old dog was abandoned at a local shelter, heartbroken and in a worryingly emaciated condition.
A video of Conrad the beagle resting on a bed in the wake of his ordeal was shared to social media by the Beagle Freedom Project, the world's leading organization for rescuing dogs, cats, and other animals from laboratory testing.
Conrad was not rescued from a life of animal testing though but came from a similar background of neglect and abuse that left him in what a Beagle Freedom Project spokesperson described as a "horrific condition."
"He was emaciated—one of the skinniest pups we've ever seen, and his teeth were completely rotted and infected," they told Newsweek. "We know that whoever had poor Conrad before us was not giving him proper nutrition or medical care. His heart was broken—he was sad and confused."
The ASPCA estimates around 3.1 million dogs enter animal shelters across the U.S. every year but few, if any, arrive in the kind of condition Conrad was in. That's why the adoptions manager at Pasadena Humane Society reached out to the Beagle Freedom Project for help.
Having heard his story, they knew they had to intervene to help change the course of a life which had, up until this point, been difficult.
"The team at Pasadena Humane knew that Conrad required a rescue group's assistance to survive, and we were so lucky to be able to take Conrad into our care before he could succumb to his poor health or be faced with euthanasia," the Beagle Freedom Project spokesperson said.
Some mystery still surrounds the circumstances that led to Conrad being dumped at the shelter at such a senior age—but there are theories.
The Beagle Freedom Project believe that, based on the levels of neglect and trauma he's been through, Conrad was likely abandoned. "It's also possible that due to his advanced age and the fact that he was not neutered, he was used as a breeding dog," they said.
Whatever the case, Conrad has undergone significant treatment since that initial rescue and is already a dog transformed. Almost all of his teeth had to be extracted which was risky as he hadn't eaten all that much. Thankfully, the surgery went well and he's been recovering since then.
He's gradually gaining weight, thanks in part to soft foods, while extra care is being taken to start him off with smaller portions as his stomach has shrunk due to malnutrition.
Normally, the plan would be for Conrad to spend time with a foster carer with a view to eventually being adopted. But that hasn't happened this time around and it's for the best possible reason.
"As of last week, Conrad was adopted," the Beagle Freedom Project confirmed. "His foster family fell in love with him, and now he gets to spend his golden years safe, happy, and cared for."
After a decade of pain and heartbreak, Conrad is finally getting the love he deserves.
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