Two years ago, rescuers from Mission Paws’ible came across a stray dog wandering the streets of Uluwatu, Bali. The poor pup was emaciated, covered in scabs and almost completely hairless.
“It was frightening to see the condition he was in,” Prue Barber, founder of Mission Paws’ible, told The Dodo.
It was clear the dog desperately needed medical attention and lots of love. Barber set out to rescue the sick pup, but she knew it wasn’t going to be easy. He was terrified and had a deep mistrust of humans.
Barber visited the dog every day and fed him by hand. Slowly but surely, he began to feel comfortable around her. After a week, he allowed Barber to carry him to her car.
Barber rushed the dog, whom she named Buzz, to the vet, where they started working on making him feel better right away.
“Buzz didn’t need much — just some skin medicine, time, and love,” Mission Paws’ible wrote on their website.
Because Buzz was so sick when he was first rescued, no one at Mission Paws’ible had any idea what he would look like once he felt better.
“We had no idea what breed he was,” Barber said.
But as Buzz started healing, his rescuers began picking up on some clues. The few strands of hair that were growing in appeared to be quite long and a brilliant golden hue.
Once his scabs disappeared and were replaced by a glorious, shiny coat, it became clear that Buzz was a golden retriever. Everyone at Mission Paws’ible was shocked — no one could have guessed that the once naked pup would become so fluffy.
As Buzz’s looks transformed, his true personality shone through.
“Unsurprisingly, he was incredibly friendly,” Barber said. “He was just a chill dog.”
Barber decided to foster him herself until someone adopted him. Before long, a woman who runs an acrobatic school in Bali fell in love with Buzz and took him home.
Now, Buzz spends his days hanging out in the studio, making fast friends with the customers — and even trying out some of their moves.
It feels like forever ago that he was wandering the streets of Uluwatu, hoping to one day be rescued.
