Our world is full of wondrous creatures, both inside and outside. However, even the most beautiful beings can quickly wither away if their situation turns bad enough.

A story just like this recently went viral online, taking over netizens’ hearts. One husky, who is naturally a very gorgeous dog, was found walking the streets looking more like a stone than an animal. But no matter how bad he looked then, once he was rescued and treated, things turned drastically for the better, and it wasn’t long until he started looking like his old glorious self. Scroll down to read the full story!

More info: Stray Rescue of Saint Louis

Even the most beautiful creatures can end up looking nothing like their true selves if they’re neglected badly enough

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

A scarred, wrinkly, and nearly hairless husky was found a few months ago and brought to Stray Rescue of Saint Louis

A few good months ago, right in the middle of the summer, a couple of Good Samaritans had an unexpected encounter with a scarred, wrinkly, and nearly hairless animal that turned out to be a husky. Realizing the situation, they quickly contacted the Stray Rescue of Saint Louis, and moments later, a volunteer driver was on the way.

And yet, despite all that he’s been through, the unfortunate creature was still acting like the little piece of sunshine that he still was on the inside. “When I got to pick the dog up, he immediately jumped over me in the driver’s seat and lay down next to me in the passenger’s seat,” shared the driver, Todd Whiteaker, in his Facebook post.

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

He was diagnosed with scabies and had to spend 2 weeks in isolation while taking antibiotics and receiving medicated baths

The Stray Rescue already had a medicated bath ready for when the dog finally arrived. However, that was only the beginning of an unpleasant but necessary healing process for the pup, who was soon diagnosed with scabies. This highly contagious mite most often causes constant itching and irritation, which is what left him looking the way he did.

Named Lycan due to his unusual looks, which is an abbreviation for lycanthrope or werewolf, the pup was having a hard time. His contagious infection was so severe that he had to be isolated for 2 weeks, and antibiotics and medicated baths became his daily routine.

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

The dog, now going by the name Lycan, was a perfect patient who never lost his spirit until he was healed and ready to enter foster care

And yet, there was nothing that could break his spirits. “He loved being touched, but we had to wear gloves and gown up. When we did, he just leaned into us and melted at every touch,” Natalie Thomson from Stray Rescue of Saint Louis told The Dodo. “He was the best patient, always trusting us and holding still for us, as if he knew we were helping him.”

As the days went by, Lycan looked and felt better and better. Soon, his skin began to heal, and his fur started regrowing. The happy boy no longer required medical attention and was cleared to enter foster care and look for a new home. Todd Whiteaker, the man who first came to the dog’s rescue, decided to step up and watch over the good boy in the meantime.

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

While Lycan is still waiting for his new family, he’s been back to looking and feeling wonderful, which is what he always deserved

Now, over 3 months after being first rescued, the husky seems to have returned to his glory days. While he hasn’t yet found a permanent home, he’s been attending adoption events and will surely eventually find a place that will be perfect for the wonder that he is.

“He will never know anything else except for unconditional love from this day forward, and his days of sadness, isolation, and pain are nevermore,” Stray Rescue of Saint Louis wrote. “He’s beautiful inside and out, no matter what.”

Image credits: Todd Whiteaker

Image credits: Stray Rescue of St. Louis

There are plenty of reasons why people forsake their pets. As per the Friends of Miami Animals Foundation, usually, it’s due to moving, financial issues, behavioral problems, health issues, and lack of time. But while some of these challenges are nearly impossible to predict, there’s no excuse good enough for abandoning the animal the way some do.

At the same time, according to the article on Foundation Affinity, some reasons are straight-up absurd. Some people tend to throw their pets on the street due to not wanting to take care of unexpected offspring, the animal’s problematic behavior that they don’t want to work on, loss of interest in the creature, and even something as ridiculous as the end of the hunting season.

Image credits: Stray Rescue of St. Louis

Image credits: Stray Rescue of St. Louis

However, most of these issues can be solved if you only take a moment to think before jumping straight to the adoption. Any kind of pet is an individual of their own, which means they also have a personality and a character. You may not be able to foresee all that they’ll be, but a good deal of that can be revealed if you research the animal’s breed.

Of course, information doesn’t guarantee that no conflicts will arise, but even if they do, it’s up to you to work on them and try to improve the situation. And if you exhaust all the options but the storm seems nowhere near the end, it’s also your responsibility to find a new home or at least a permanent residence for the animal where they have a decent chance at a better life.

Image credits: Stray Rescue of St. Louis

Ultimately, most of us would never even consider doing something so terrible to our pets, but there will also always be people whose moral compasses are long broken and lost, making them capable of such horrible things.

As time goes by, hopefully, the system for animal adoption will improve, and there will be fewer and fewer cases like these. But for now, we can at least be thankful that there are people out there who take care of unfortunate creatures like Lycan and do everything in their power to give them the life they wholeheartedly deserve.

What did you think about this story? Would you like to adopt Lycan or another wonderful dog? Share it all in the comments below!

The commenters loved Lycan’s transformation and were thankful to his rescuers for doing such a good job

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