The dedicated rescuers at Animal Aid Unlimited, India (AAUI) are used to receiving urgent calls for help. But in May of 2023, they encountered a message from a Good Samaritan that nearly stopped their hearts.
“Three puppies fell in warm road work tar, and when it cooled, they were unable to move,” AAUI wrote on YouTube. “Without rescue, they would have died of thirst, unable to wriggle free, no matter how hard they tried.”
Volunteers rushed to the scene, where they found the trio of young puppies smothered in sticky asphalt. One by one, the team lifted out each puppy from the tar pit and carried them to the car before shuttling them to AAUI’s headquarters.
The puppies were in severe condition, with layers of water-resistant tar continuing to harden with each passing minute. Luckily, the folks at AAUI knew just how to help.
“We’ve had tar babies before, so as soon as they arrived, we got right to work,” AAUI wrote.
From their previous experience with animals covered in tar, the rescuers knew that a water bath wouldn’t help. They needed to use a different substance to penetrate the tar and wick it away.
“First, we bathed them in cooking oil, removing chunks of tar,” AAUI wrote. “They were thirsty, exhausted and hungry.”
The rescuers worked tirelessly to coat the puppies in clean oil and remove the caked-up tar. Taking only a few breaks to syringe feed the pups, the team scrubbed for hours until they finally saw glimmers of hope.
“After three hours, we began to see clean fur, but they were getting so tired,” AAUI wrote.
You can see more footage from their rescue here:
The rescuers let the puppies settle in for the night and resumed the oil baths the next day. By the third day of consistent oil baths, the puppies finally started to look and feel like themselves again.
Once they were no longer encased in thick tar, the puppies — named Bingo, Checkers and Parcheesi — regained their youthful energies. With their bellies fully and skin healing, the triplets began playing again — and they haven’t stopped since.
Not long after their rescue, Bingo, Checkers and Parcheesi each found their perfect forever homes, where they’ve been thriving ever since. The folks at AAUI miss having the adorable trio around, but they’re beyond satisfied knowing that, with the help of their community, they were able to change these pups’ lives for the better.
“Thank you for giving us the means to have enough help to save lives and make hundreds of smiles,” AAUI wrote.
