Owner Surrenders Dog to Vet to Be Euthanized, but Staff Had Other Plans

A social media post that chronicles how a rescue dog was wiped from the euthanasia list by a kindhearted vet, before being housed at an animal rescue shelter and adopted, has warmed hearts across the internet.

The Facebook post, which has been liked by over 2,900 users since it was first shared to the platform on November 8, introduced the world to Barnacle the rescue dog and shared how he's doing with his new family now.

"We were contacted about Barnacle by a rescue-friend, but his backstory is quite complicated," Ninna Lopez, the founder and president of Ninna's Road to Rescue animal shelter in Louisiana, told Newsweek.

"He had been brought into a vet clinic for 'skin issues,'" Lopez said. "The vet prescribed some medications to help him, but a month later, another family member came back to the clinic with the unopened medications and Barnacle in terrible condition, which indicates that they didn't want the dog."

"Basically, they surrendered the dog to the clinic," Lopez added.

The nonprofit founder told Newsweek that Barnacle had demodex mange, a non-contagious skin disease caused by mites. It had been inherited from his mother and is currently not curable.

"Fortunately, the mite (which lives in the hair follicles) will go dormant if the dog is treated properly and given appropriate medical attention," Lopez explained.

Due to his "horrible case of untreated demodex mange," Barnacle had become an owner surrender, which means that his former owners had given the dog up to a veterinary center to be put down.

The veterinary center, which Lopez did not identify, refused to put the unwell dog down, opting instead to treat him and for an employee to temporarily take him home.

"One of the employees took him home for a while after treating him with Bravecto first. They got him healthy enough for a rescue to take him and that's when we took him in," the Facebook post read.

It added that the dog was adopted in July 2023, while Facebook users were shown a series of images of Barnacle that highlight his shocking transformation.

In his most recent images, the dog could be seen looking healthy and well-groomed while on leafy walks with his new owners.

Ninna's Road to Rescue is a nonprofit animal rescue organization located in Benton, Louisiana. It was founded by Lopez in March 2012.

Reflecting on Barnacle's miraculous recovery and placement with a loving family, Lopez told Newsweek that "this is what can happen when you take a dog and look beyond the current condition of what that little dog could be."

"That is what we do daily. We get in dogs all the time that look horrible due to years of neglect. We turn darkness into light for so many," the rescue CEO added.

What Do the Comments Say?

Since it was posted to Facebook on November 8, the post has been shared over 148 times and received many supportive comments praising all parties involved in the job well done on Barnacle.

"Love makes anything possible," one user wrote.

"Absolutely night and day," another user added.

"Thank you to everyone involved in saving this baby," added a third user.

The Facebook post can be seen here.

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