So Malnourished He Was Digesting His Own Muscle, Dismissed Her Anyway

Any animal in need deserves rescuing. None of us are going to debate this simple fact. For one woman, however, that devoted her life to a totally different cause, rescuing a puppy was a bit out of the ordinary.

Jenny Desmond, who operates the Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection facility in West Africa with her husband Jimmy, spent a lot of time and energy on one animal that looks nothing like a chimp. This is Jenny’s story, as well as one lucky pup’s, named Snafu. Even if you’ve heard the story before, we promise, you won’t regret hearing (or rather reading) this version.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

A tiny puppy was left to die on the side of the road in a remote village in Liberia. None of the village’s residents seemed to notice the little guy nor care as he laid there in terrible condition. YET when Jenny walked over to him and picked him up, the villagers gave her a hard time (You will see more of this in the video below as she argued with the ticked-off residents).

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

Jenny stood her ground and asked, “You want me to leave him here… he’s gonna die?” While the villagers themselves didn’t care for the puppy, they wanted her to pay for the dog. It was ludicrous! They claimed he belonged to someone. But no one was caring for the poor puppy and he was covered in parasites and running a fever. Still, the villagers were relentless!

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

Miraculously, Jenny negotiated with the villagers and took the puppy. She brought him back to the chimpanzee rescue center. Jenny was sure if they hadn’t brought him back when they did, he wouldn’t have survived much longer.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

The puppy’s skin was covered in sores and he was missing patches of fur. First, they gave him a bath to remove the caked on mud and puss around the affected areas. Jenny’s husband, Jimmy, is a wildlife veterinarian. He knew just how to treat all of Snafu’s medical issues. He noticed that the little guy had a host of problems. He was so malnourished that he was digesting his own muscle. It was heartbreaking.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

The couple took Snafu’s recovery day by day. They weren’t sure if he would survive but they knew they couldn’t give up on him. In a short time, his fur began to fill in. But there were many rough days ahead.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

His personality improved as he began to trust the humans around him but his health condition would ebb and flow–  some days he would do very well, others he struggled.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

But then, he got much stronger. It was like a guardian angel above was looking out for Snafu and snapped her fingers, deciding he was going to live. It was amazing.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

Snafu also made friends with the ‘residents’ at the rescue center. It was pretty adorable.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

Then, Jenny and Jimmy arranged for Snafu to have a forever home back in the U.S. They knew with a new family, he would receive the life and care he deserves. Jenny’s niece decided to adopt Snafu. He went to live with Jenny’s extended family in Colorado. Jenny knew if he stayed in Africa, he wouldn’t have stability and that was most important.

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

Today you can find Snafu thriving in his home with his family. His early days are far behind him. We are so grateful for Jenny’s insistent nature. Had she not fought hard for Snafu, who knows what would have happened. Play the video below to learn more about the amazing story!

Source: Donny Moss/YouTube

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