It’s truly amazing what love, care, and good food can do to transform a living creature.
One day as Rico Soegiarto was walking home from work in Denpasar, Bali, he spotted a stray dog that was in such bad shape he stopped dead in his tracks. The dog was emaciated and covered in fleas, and she’d lost most of her fur to mange and other skin ailments. He simply couldn’t leave her there to die, so he scooped her up and took her home.
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Rico is no stranger to rescuing animals. He already had four dogs he’d rescued back at home, so he knew just by looking into this new stray’s sweet face that she still had a lot of life yet to live. With her bright blue eyes, he thought she might be some sort of husky mix, but he couldn’t even tell due to her poor health. He decided to call her Hope.
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Once he got Hope home he began a daily regimen of care to reverse some of the damage she’d sustained on the streets. He began by giving her medicated baths, which must have stung her sensitive skin, but the dog never snapped or acted aggressively. Instead, she’d give her new master’s hand a gentle lick as if she knew he was trying to help her.
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Rico made sure to give her good-quality dog food to help her gain weight, and she quickly fit in with his pack of grateful pups. Soon she was moving around without pain and starting to put on muscle mass, indicating that her healing was on the right track. Slowly but surely, Hope started to get better.
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In just ten months, Rico’s hard work and tireless love paid off. Hope was transformed into a beautiful girl who looks to be almost full-bred husky. A far cry from the cowering, skeletal animal he’d found on the street that day, Hope is now a gorgeous companion to Rico and his family.
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Hope’s transformation is so encouraging for all of us. Not only is this a wonderful example of how care (including self-care) can make a dramatic difference in a life, but we’re also reminded of how rewarding it can be to help others. Rico could have kept walking and ignored the animal who was clearly in pain, but he chose to take action and do some good in the world.
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