Local good Samaritan and Underdog Project volunteer Leslie Ysuhuaylas was heartbroken by what she found just outside of Dallas, Texas, in a common dog-dumping ground. It was winter in 2017, and she thought she'd stumbled upon the carcass of an abandoned dog ... at first.
The dog, a brown-and-white shar-pei mix, hadn’t died. He was critically injured nestled in a small plastic crate lined with towels. He was huddled up to try to keep warm but had a massive gash on his leg that was cut down nearly to the bone. He was in no shape to be out in the below-freezing weather.
Worried for his health, Ysuhuaylas brought the dog—now named Benny—to her car quickly, planning to bring him to a vet.
Just as she went to drive off, though, she noticed another dog standing near where Benny had been found completely immobile. The other dog, a larger chocolate-colored Labrador, seemed to be watching to see if Benny was being properly taken care of. Knowing that she couldn’t split them up, Ysuhuaylas went back quickly to get the Lab as well.
Benny had to be rushed to an emergency vet due to the deep gash in his leg and some dehydration and swelling in his head, but Ysuhuaylas wanted to make sure that the Lab—who was then named Betty—would be able to stay with her friend for good.
She called a dog rescue agency across the country, Rescue Dog Rocks NYC, and explained the situation. They were moved by the need for Benny to find someone to pay for his medical care and agreed to take on the costs of their Texas veterinary partner—but then went a step further and agreed to take Betty as well. The pair were brought together to the vet for Benny to receive the extensive treatment he needed after such a harrowing ordeal, and Rescue Dog Rocks planned to bring the pair together to New York when they were able.
“When we discovered Benny in the box in critical condition there was another dog next to him who we suspect had been living in this area unprotected for weeks, freezing to death right beside Benny,” wrote a Rescue Dog Rocks spokesperson, detailing the heartbreaking situation.
“Benny and Betty will be transported to NY at the same time when ready,” they added.
The most heartbreaking part of the entire situation was that Benny was described by Ysuhuaylas as “friendly, loving, loves toys, and doesn’t mind being touched and cleaned up.” In other words, he was a regular dog that likely had been someone’s pet before he was left out in the freezing cold in Texas.
Thankfully, though, Ysuhuaylas was able to find him in time, and she was able to make sure that he and Betty were able to stay together. After such a show of friendship and loyalty from Betty, that’s really what counts!
