A Puppy Down on It’s Luck Gets a New Lease on Life at a Chimp Sanctuary

The lifelong commitment to animal welfare makes it impossible to ignore a suffering creature like Jenny Desmond, who, with her husband Jimmy, runs the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection facility in West Africa. One day, the kind lady noticed an abandoned dog on the road while making her way back to the facility. The poor creature looked like he was dying. Unfortunately, Jenny’s expertise was with chimpanzees. Yet, she felt compelled to help this pooch even though she had no idea how to care for a dog with such a condition.

A persistent issue in the world is pet abandonment. It basically means that animals are left on their own. Either they are abandoned in secluded locations or on the streets, where no one can notice them. Puppies and kittens have been discovered in garbage cans, on highways, and tethered to park benches.

The woman we refer to was Jenny Desmond. She and her husband, Jimmy, not only ran the sanctuary in Liberia for chimpanzees to live in safety, they were the ones who established the facility. Even though the Desmonds’ primary focus is on rehabilitating wild and orphaned chimpanzees that have been rescued from the illegal bushmeat and wildlife trades, the LCRP does not discriminate against any animal when it comes to the affection and care it provides.

Jenny immediately observed that the puppy had worms and a fever when they stopped to check on him, but those were just two of his many obvious problems. The pooch wasn’t just malnourished; it also appeared to have skin and eye diseases.

Unsurprisingly, Jenny ran into some opposition from the people in the surrounding village when she tried to save the dog. She did not want to pay them to take him, especially considering she was confident no one cared for him. As she held the pup out to show them his scabbed coat, Jenny pointed out how they could clearly see that he was being devoured alive.

Even if she expected it, Jenny was still surprised to see how the villagers resisted her taking the puppy to the facility. She stopped because it was obvious from afar that the animal had been abandoned. So, the opposition she met intrigued the sanctuary manager—why didn’t they want to let go of the dying dog?

In a video posted online, Jenny could be heard asking the villagers if they would agree for her to take the dog with the condition she would bring him back to them once he was okay. That appeared to be a sufficient justification for them to permit Jenny to take the pup with her.

It was for the best that Jenny was able to save the sick dog at the time that she did. Without her intervention, she was positive that the puppy would have perished within two days. A closer look revealed that the dog had large bald spots and several wounds and was covered in dirt.

It’s common for dogs to lose their hair and occasionally lose a lot of it. It is not typical, however, for this process to leave the animal with bald patches that are easily recognizable. It’s clear as day that the abandoned creature appears to have no hair at all. 

As soon as they arrived at the sanctuary, the first thing that they did was give the dog a bath that it desperately needed. While the puppy sat powerless under the running water, Jenny and one of her coworkers gently scraped the filth encrusted into the animal’s fur to remove it.

The Desmonds came up with the name Snafu for their new little companion. Snafu was a timid and weak puppy when he initially came to the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection Center, where he got the best treatment for each condition. When he first arrived, it was obvious that the pup lacked the strength to go on living.

When Snafu first arrived at Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection facility, everyone noticed how extremely weak he was. Jenny herself believed the pup would not survive at all. The only reason she decided to bring him was to give him a fighting chance. Perhaps, the sanctuary manager thought, a miracle would happen, and the puppy would live to adulthood.

Snafu received care straight away so he could begin to heal. Jimmy Desmond is a wildlife veterinarian and consultant focusing on illegal wildlife trade and newly developing diseases. Indeed, the puppy was in proper hands for his medical needs.

Did you know that when there’s nothing to eat, the body starts consuming itself after a few days? At some point, the body will have to resort to consuming muscle for protein since it will have no other choice. Snafu’s malnourishment and hunger had progressed to the point where he was “eating” his own muscles for nourishment. Jenny and Jimmy ensured he got plenty of food and drank to help him recover.

When dogs are surrendered, found, or apprehended, animal shelters and rescue organizations frequently find themselves providing care for undernourished animals. The dog’s adoptive or foster parents, or the owners who take in strays, must provide the necessary care to ensure they get back to a healthy weight.

After five days of being cared for by the Desmonds, the puppy’s fur began to come back gradually. Jenny remarked that it “didn’t even look like he had fur or hair” when they initially discovered him, referring to how he looked the first time she laid her eyes on Snafu.

Jenny noted that there comes a day for most of the animals they rescue when they kind of take a turn for the worse. Of course, they readied themselves if the same thing happened to Snafu. Miraculously, it didn’t.

Because Snafu was getting into more mischief, the Desmonds had to be more cautious with how they handled him. Snafu had several open wounds all over his body, with pus coming out of them before he started treatment. Jenny observed that the wound was beginning to heal as a result of the medication, but the dog continued to bite at it, so they fitted him with a collar.

You may have heard of a hard plastic collar resembling a lampshade being referred to as “the cone of shame,” but no dog loves having to wear it. The Elizabethan collar is the correct term for the plastic paraphernalia since it resembles the high necklines popular during the reign of Elizabeth I of England.

Even with the tight collar around his neck, Snafu was still feeling good enough to begin mingling with everyone at the sanctuary, especially his new animal companions. Not only did he have no problem sharing meals with the more senior dogs that lived on the site, but he also got along perfectly with the chimpanzees.

It didn’t take long for Snafu to start recovering under the watchful care of the Desmonds, and it wasn’t long after that when he started getting big. Snafu became a full-grown dog within a year, and he was as content as could be. It was clear the puppy felt right at home in the sanctuary.

It was truly endearing to see a dog being pals with chimpanzees. Of course, animals of different species usually do not get along, but Snafu and his friends prove that is not always the case. Nevertheless, the puppy’s relationship with his primate buddies is not the first of its kind. 

Within a year of being rescued, Snafu appeared to be a different dog than he had been in the past. His entire recovery was made possible by Jenny and Jimmy Desmond, who provided him with treatments, a sanctuary, and an abundance of love and affection. Let’s not forget the friends that surrounded him at his new home.

Many creatures find their way to the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection facility, but it isn’t very frequent that they have to go. Even though Jenny had never been picky about the types of animals she cared for, she eventually came to terms with the fact that she and Jimmy spent most of their time working to save chimpanzees.

Jenny and Jimmy fell in love with Snafu, and while they were glad of his recovery, their work at the sanctuary was still their priority. Even with their affection for the dog, Jenny and Jimmy could not keep him. Because they rescued chimps from all around Africa, running the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection facility required a significant amount of travel.

We’re all aware of how adorable and enjoyable dogs are. They also engage in a lot of eating, pooping, and mischief. In all honesty, furry creatures require a significant investment of time and focus. Jenny and Jimmy realized this, so they decided to look for someone else to care for Snafu full-time.

One option for the Desmonds was to bring Snafu back to the village. Remember, Jenny promised the locals she’d return the dog once he was well. Because they had turned a blind eye to the puppy’s condition before, bringing Snafu back to them was out of the question for the sanctuary manager.

Jenny had a good idea of who would be the best fit for Snafu, and it turned out to be her sister’s family in Colorado. Jenny predicted that Snafu would have an amazing life after relocating to Colorado to be with her nieces. After spending her childhood with her sibling, Jenny gained an understanding of her loving and caring nature.

Even though knowing that Snafu would be going to the best place he could possibly be, aside from the sanctuary, Jenny found it hard to say goodbye to her dog. She first held him in her arms only a year ago, almost certain he would not make it. 

Snafu had grown very attached to his family at the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection facility. He was particularly fond of his parents, Jenny and Jimmy, who expressed their hope that Snafu would maintain the same joy in his new home in Colorado after moving there.