Bald pit bull found on street can’t believe someone wants to pet him

He's so handsome now — and searching for his forever home. No Images? [Click here]( May 29, 2018 Good morning! Today we have a bald pit bull, a friendly three-legged squirrel and a cat who loves his new playhouse. 1. Bald Pit Bull Found On Street Can't Believe Someone Wants To Pet Him Photo Credit: Stephanie Lee The look in Oliver’s eyes was one of defeat. His skin was bright red, and he’d lost almost all his hair. He had scratches and sores all over his body from desperately itching himself for relief. And now he was in a cage, shaking from fear and unsure of where he even was. A Good Samaritan had just found him roaming the streets of Chicago and brought him to Chicago Animal Care and Control to get help. No one knew how long the 1-year-old dog had been out there — but it was clear no one had cared for him in a very long time. “He had the worst case of mange I have ever seen,” Stephanie Lee, volunteer and foster with the shelter, told The Dodo. “I walked by his cage and literally just started crying. He was shaking and licking his paws … Several spots on his body were bleeding because of how raw and infected it was.” That’s when Lee connected with Tanner Smith, a shelter worker at Knox County Humane Society, to get Oliver out of the high-intake city shelter and into a loving foster home. “When I first saw him, I just fell in love instantly,” Smith told The Dodo. “He looked so bad. I knew we needed to help him.” Despite the pain Oliver was in, it was clear from the very beginning that all he wanted was to be loved. When shelter volunteers sat down on the ground with him, he started rolling all over them and his tail wouldn’t stop wagging. Photo Credit: Stephanie Lee While Oliver’s past is unclear, Lee and Smith believe he definitely belonged to someone before ending up on the streets. “He was not malnourished when he was found,” Lee said. “It seems like he was someone’s dog and they didn’t take him to the vet when his skin started getting bad. They just dumped him when he didn’t get better.” After a full vet check, Oliver was diagnosed with demodex mange as well as secondary skin infections. Lee and her husband, Johnny, set Oliver up with his very own room in their house and brought him to stay with them on April 4. “He was so uncomfortable that he’d just be tossing and turning all night,” Lee said. “He really didn’t sleep well for a while.” Lee gave Oliver gentle baths every day with a medicated shampoo to help clear his skin up, and also rubbed lotions and coconut oil on him afterward to soothe the irritation. “Most dogs would try to escape the bath or get really stressed out,” Lee said. “But he would just sit there very calmly, like he knew that I was trying to help him. It was pretty awesome.” After about four weeks of daily baths, ointments and medication, Oliver finally made a breakthrough. His horribly irritated skin had begun clearing and he suddenly wasn’t spending his days in pain. He was actually smiling. Photo Credit: Stephanie Lee “He stopped trying to rub his body everywhere to get relief,” Lee said. “He just opened up. He wanted love. He wanted to play. He wanted to go on walks. It was great to see him just be a normal, happy dog.” As the days went on, Oliver kept getting better and better. He became obsessed with toys, and even started going on runs with Lee. He became excited about meeting new people and other dogs, too. “He’s just a big puppy who wants to play,” Lee said. “But he can be super lovey and affectionate and cuddly.” Oliver is finally mange-free and healthy, and is now looking for the perfect family to spend his days with — a moment Lee and Smith are anxiously awaiting. “It’s like he’s experiencing love for the first time,” Smith said. “And he just loves everyone right back.” 2. Sweet Three-Legged Squirrel Visits Her Favorite Person Every Day Photo Credit: Crystal Hurta Each morning, Crystal Hurta is on a strict time schedule. As a counselor at a junior high school in Texas, she always tries to be early so she can get right to work helping students when they come in for the day. But there’s also a part of her morning routine that involves someone a bit more furry: the local squirrels. “My office window points out to this huge tree and we have a ton of squirrels,” Hurta said. “Several years ago I saw them all out there and noticed that one squirrel in particular was missing a front paw. I wanted to make sure she was getting enough to eat, so I started throwing a little bit of corn out there every day.” The tripod squirrel, whom Hurta lovingly named Stubby, was more than happy to take the free snack — and eventually, all of her friends learned that Hurta’s window was the best place to hang out. Morning after morning for the past three years now, Hurta brings dried corn or a corncob to give the squirrels as their daily treat, and then they go about their business climbing their trees and foraging for nuts and other food while she works. The squirrels love their morning snack so much that if Hurta is running late one day, they’ll sit and wait outside the window for her to come in. The squirrels have become so special to Hurta that even when she has off work for a few weeks during the summer, she returns every other day to make sure they’re not going without. “They’ll literally start tapping the window as if to say, ‘Hey you’re late,’” Hurta said. “If I happen to not be in the office one day, my partner will tell me the next day, ‘Your squirrels have been looking for you!” Photo credit: Crystal Hurta While Hurta cares about all the schoolyard squirrels, Stubby holds a special place in her heart. Last fall, Stubby had three babies, and Hurta has watched them grow up ever since. “I’d see her run around with them and hold them,” Hurta said. “It was the coolest thing. And now she brings them to my window, too.” Although Stubby may be missing a paw, there’s no doubt that she’s the top squirrel in the group, Hurta said — which makes for some hilarious turf wars over the snacks sometimes. “We laugh so hard at her, because if someone else gets near the corn she’s eating, she’ll run them off,” Hurta said. “You don’t see a squirrel missing a paw very often, let alone one with such a funny personality. She has no idea that she’s any different from the others.” 3. Rescue Cat Can't Believe His Mom Made Him His Very Own Playhouse Photo Credit: Melissa Gandalf was given up by his family when he was around 4 years old because his parents were getting a divorce and no longer felt they could care for him. He was taken in by a foster family, and before long, a woman in the neighborhood who had always wanted a cat decided he was the cat for her and adopted him. “I felt deep for him because just that fall my own parents had just separated,” Melissa, Gandalf’s new mom, told The Dodo. “I needed him just as much as he needed me.” From the moment he moved into his new home, Gandalf absolutely adored his mom. He’s super cuddly with her (and most everyone he meets) and follows her around all day long, but for some reason, she’s never really had any luck getting him to play with toys. “He is a very chill guy and very well-mannered,” Melissa said. “He is not a fan of many toys. I've bought so many, and not much interest from him.” Besides following his mom around, Gandalf’s other favorite thing in the world is taking naps — so one day, his mom decided to make him a “toy” that went with the theme of naps. “I thought of the idea to make a cute little napping area for him,” Melissa said. “He likes the cat post and a bed I had purchased and I thought, ‘Why not make a little hideout?!’” Melissa searched on YouTube for some fairly easy DIY cat houses, gathered together some paint, cardboard and other supplies she would need, and got to work. Four hours later, she’d created the cutest little cat house in the world — but she wasn’t sure how Gandalf would feel about it. After setting up the house and outfitting it with some comfy blankets, Melissa presented her creation to Gandalf — and to her surprise, he was shocked and absolutely thrilled by his brand-new house. Photo Credit: Melissa “I put a couple treats inside for him to warm up inside his own little mini home,” Melissa said. “Sure enough, he loved it and my hard work paid off.” Now, Gandalf loves spending hours curled up inside his festive little house. It may not be a traditional “toy,” but it’s his favorite place to play and nap, and he seems so grateful that his mom took the time to make such a wonderful hideaway for him. “A simple box may have done just the same, but why not make it cute, right?” Melissa said. Divers Work To Free Sea Turtle Wrapped In Trash [Facebook]( [Twitter]( [YouTube]( [Instagram]( The Dodo 100 Crosby St., 201 New York, NY 10012 [Forward]( [Unsubscribe](