A French couple gave themselves a Christmas present by adopting a skeletal stray dog that had been roaming outside their home for months.
The couple from Saint-Amand-de-Belvès in the Dordogne fell in love with the dog, whose emaciated condition was pitiful, and wanted to adopt him, but all attempts to catch him failed.
The hunting dog “Forrest,” wandering as the days passed, saw his health rapidly deteriorate or, as the saying goes, become nothing but skin and bones.
After several attempts to catch him, Silvain and his partner Laëtitia finally had to use tricks to lock the dog in their garage, France Live reported on Sunday.
“He dragged himself to our house and my husband had the idea to open the garage” to bring the dog, who was anxious because of the cold, into the house, the young woman told local media.
The couple were shocked to see the terrible condition in which they found the animal, which would have been killed in a collision with a vehicle or a wild boar.
“He had a fever of more than 40°C, he was dehydrated, malnourished, he had bedsores, bruises and a jaw injury,” said Laëtitia.
With the support of the animal protection organization Pattes en cavale 24, “Forrest” was treated by a veterinarian while waiting to give him up for adoption to his new owners.