From the archives: This story was last updated in December 2019.
Four puppies found themselves petrified by black viscous tar after wandering through a garbage heap in Rajasthan, India. Concerned neighbors called an animal aid initiative, and rescuers rushed to pick up the pups; many feared, however, that it was simply too late to save them.After three painstaking days, and a whole lot of dish soap, however, rescuers bore witness to an extraordinary transformation.
Staff from the AAU hospital and sanctuary’s headquarters near Udaipur, Rajasthan, arrived on the scene and located two puppies. The team assessed the scared pups’ dire condition and hurriedly set to work softening the inch-thick tar glued to their fur with oil and dish soap.
“The little sweethearts were dazed with confusion, pain, fear, and frustration,” AAU explained online, “and two were so completely covered that all they could move was their eyes.”
The first tar-removal session lasted three hours, during which time the team removed huge chunks of garbage from the puppies’ tarred fur. The pups were fed water through a syringe and slowly regained some mobility in their limbs as the tar softened.
The team halted to allow the two exhausted puppies to rest and recuperate overnight. That same night, however, another call came in and the team discovered two more puppies, siblings of the first pair, also covered in tar.
This time, the sight was even harder to see; the tiny pups were covered up to their necks in tar; plastic garbage and stones had affixed to the sticky substance, weighing the puppies down so that they were completely trapped.
Once again, the team set to work with oil and dish soap.
“When the first one wandered in and got stuck, she must have cried with so much emotion that the others came to see what was the matter,” AAU explained, “and they too got glued down by the awful tar.”
The arduous cleaning routine continued for three long days. Slowly but surely, however, the puppies underneath the tar became visible.
The team named the four siblings Jessi, Jeena, Peanut, and Priya. Then came the very best news for the newly emancipated puppies; their mother was on the way.
By the time the outreach team had located the siblings’ mother, her puppies’ bleak prognosis had shifted completely. They were “freed from the poisonous grip of the tar,” the team said, and were ready to be reunited with their mom in the safety environs of the shelter.
“It’s incredible how well and happy they look after seeing them covered in tar and rubbish,” one viewer commented, while another wrote, “This made me believe that humanity still exists. God bless you guys.”
“It’s sad to think that they don’t always get lucky enough to be found,” one person reflected, highlighting the importance of AAU’s work and the desperate need for further donations, volunteers, and outreach.
With widespread animal welfare in mind, the mother of the puppies was spayed as part of AAU’s outreach program to help alleviate the stray-dog crisis in India. Then, the healthy mom and her four tar-free pups were released back into the community that looks out for them.
