“His owners abandoned him outside the shelter, tied at the gate. Our staff found him in the morning. We couldn’t bear to see his condition. His paw was completely filled with maggots!”

Would you ever wear a 5 kilo fur coat in Goa? Imagine Bhallu’s life. A sweet St. Bernard meant to live in the cold, snowy mountains, brought to the hot and humid southern states of this country to be a victim of a pedigree pet trade.

His owners did not just make a decision to subject him to a terrible physical environment but never bothered to give him the care he needed. Bhallu was a status symbol like owning a big house or a car. They probably never imagined he would grow so big, or eat so much, or need to exercise. He was high maintenance, especially since he needed medical care. So they decided to abandon him overnight. 

When Bhallu was found at the shelter, he had a huge maggot-filled wound on his paw. It is evidence that his owners never bothered to give him any medical care. They didn’t protect him from getting hurt. They did not treat his wound. They let it fester until flies laid eggs that hatched into larvae which grew into maggots. These maggots fed on the wound until most of his paw was completely infested."

Thankfully, Bhallu got help in time or he would have needed an amputation. The treatment is quite painful. He cannot be as active as he likes or needs. It is not even his fault.

"It is tough for any animal shelter to re-home any animal, especially a big breed like a St. Bernard. So we decided to keep him here with us. He has round-the-clock care, and slowly, he will recover from the physical, mental and emotional trauma."

At the shelter, Bhallu will be a part of compassionate education workshops, where he will help people understand what it takes to look after such lovely breeds unsuitable for tropical climates. His rescuers hope that people he meets would spread the word and limit pet trade of exotic breeds.

"Bhallu has been extremely mistreated. He got help in time and now he has a home full of people who can care for him."

There are several needy animals at the shelter, and his rescuers find it challenging to manage the expenses of his care all by themselves. 

With your help, this sweet and gentle St. Bernard, can recover and discover happiness in life.