Anyone who has visited the lovely island of Bali will know that, as beautiful as it is, the island does have a stray dog problem, and it is fairly typical to come across street dogs while traveling through cities and villages.
While the government faces the difficult task of maintaining order and preventing rabies epidemics, shelters and concerned citizens take matters into their own hands to provide the unfortunate, abandoned pups with the best possible existence.
Bali is well-known for its Hinduism, and a key figure in Hinduism is Yudhishthira, a monarch who approached paradise with his dog. As a result, many Hindus believe that caring for or adopting dogs can help prepare the route to heaven.
A lovely illustration of this is the story of a husky who was discovered on the street, sore-ridden and severely malnourished, by Rico Soegiarto, a loving person.
When Rico, 26, first saw the pup on the streets of Denpasar, she was covered in bald areas and so frail that her bones could be seen through her sick skin.
She didn’t have much time left. Despite her state, her gorgeous blue eyes gleamed brightly, and Rico felt he needed to give the neglected youngster another opportunity.
“I don’t know what was special about her,” Rico told Bored Panda. “Its about heart and feeling. I found her when I was on the way back home from work, she was in the middle of the street.”
And what a wonderful second opportunity that was. Rico showed the results of his beloved new pet’s makeover after painstakingly nursing the husky back to health with grooming, pet visits, and plenty of healthy food.
It is very remarkable! With a thick, shiny coat and those same piercing blue eyes, the husky clearly adores Rico and cannot keep her paws off her savior.
She is now secure in the care of Rico, who has four other dogs and is an avid animal lover. So what did he name his miracle pooch that had endured such adversity? “Her name is Hope.”
Here are some of the responses to the lovely story.
