Dog Called ‘Untouchable’ by Owner Was Chained for 10 Days to a Trailer and Left to Die

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A 10-month-old dog called Duke was chained to a ramshackle trailer and left to die by his owner, who spread the rumor that he had a disease that was highly contagious. For this reason, no one dared to go near Duke until a kind woman stepped in to intervene.

Being labeled “diseased” and “untouchable,” Duke spent 10 agonizing days huddled under a run-down ramshackle trailer outside a Bulgarian village in June 2014.

Luckily, after the 10th day, Duke didn’t have to suffer this inhumane quarantine anymore when Rudozem Street Dog Rescue, a non-profit foundation in Bulgaria founded by Diane and Tony Rowles, came to his rescue.

A woman from the village, named Alie, saw Duke suffering and contacted Rudozem Street Dog Rescue for help.

“Alie explained that the dog had been tied up under a trailer for ten days, only surviving on the bread and water given to it by people passing by. She said that the people who dumped him there claimed he had a disease which could be passed to humans. Call it what you want, stupidity or ignorance—why on earth would you chain a dog up just to let it die?” the rescue’s co-founder Tony Rowles said, according to its website.

Notified of Duke’s dire situation, Tony arrived at the scene only to find the dog covered in flies. “He was very scared,” he told The Dodo. “There was a stench of ammonia. He couldn’t move anywhere. It was totally overwhelming.”

Unable to move and surrounded by his own feces, Duke was terribly scared.

However, within a minute or two, Duke began to warm up to Tony. As Tony stroked Duke, the dog licked his hand and started wagging his tail.

There was no space at the animal shelter, so Tony brought Duke back to his house to stay with other dogs and cats, as he couldn’t simply let him die.

Once back at his house, Tony inspected Duke and found that he was likely only around 10 months old. Despite his young age, Duke had numerous health problems. He had deformed legs, possibly due to abuse.

“It seemed that his legs, and in particular his feet, had been deliberately smashed—bones and ligaments have all been broken,” Tony said. He told The Dodo: “His feet were shattered. The ligaments in his feet were nonexistent. Bones were just floating about in his feet.”

Tony and Diane were particularly upset knowing that “someone had decided to inflict such injuries on a defenseless dog.”

Malnourished, Duke also suffered from a cough caused by the damage done to his throat from the heavy chain that once bound him.

They found out the only thing contagious about Duke was his gentle and loving charm, even though initially for a few weeks, he feared humans.

“He was OK when I approached him initially. But you could see that fear in the way he moved and the way he backed away for those first few weeks,” Tony said. “He really made an attachment with my wife Diane. He just loved Diane.”

To address his deformity, Duke had to wear splints on his legs. Also, he underwent a series of operations so as to walk properly again. In addition, the vets operated on Duke’s shoulder to correct his unnatural movement.

With professional medical care and lots of TLC, Duke was on his road to recovery.

“It came to a point where we said, ‘You know, he could actually go for adoption now,’” Tony said.

Rudozem Street Dog Rescue saves stray dogs off the streets in Bulgaria and finds loving homes for them, be it in the Netherlands, Germany, England, France, Belgium, or the United States.

Duke ended up being adopted by a woman named Diana Romaine, who lives in England. “When I saw Duke on the RSDR website, my heart went out to him,” Romaine said. “I knew I could give him a loving and comfortable home and deal with any health issues so I registered my interest.”

When Duke left Tony and Diane in early 2015, it was a tearful farewell.

Two years after the rescue, Rudozem Street Dog Rescue posted the recent photos of Duke to show people he’s doing fine in his home in England.

We’re glad the once “untouchable” Duke finally found a wonderful forever home after the horrific cruelty inflicted on him. Thank you Tony and Diane for the good work done!