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A rescue puppy’s story started with tragedy — but he’s not letting a ruff start get him down.
The tiny dog named Stormzy was hit by a car and left with brain damage. He could barely move, had swelling in his brain and had little control over his own body.
But when a veterinarian suggested that the best thing to do would be to put the poor pup to sleep, welfare advocate and rescuer Niall Harbison disagreed.
Harbison, who founded the Happy Doggo online community and charity group, met Stormzy and believed that he was still trying and that there was more life in there — so he and his team decided to give the dog every chance he could get to survive.
Stormzy must’ve felt the paws-itivity, because he started to improve quickly.
Just a few weeks later, the doggo was walking around and playing like any other dog, and even started enjoying belly scratches.
“Nobody saw this one coming 30 days ago when his owner was told to put him to sleep because of his brain injuries,” Harbison wrote in a Nov. 20 Instagram post.
“Stormzy is out playing fetch, running in the jungle and enjoying belly rubs. We’ve helped and believed in him but we really have to put it down to his very own strength of character. What a brave boy Stormzy is.”
Stormzy went from not being able to stand or even lift his head on his own to having a fetching recovery.
And despite the brain damage, he’s even learning new tricks. On Nov. 22, Harbison shared on social media that he learned to sit on command.
Harbison admitted that he was “always a little worried” about Stormzy’s “brain power” — but the new trick signified a huge step of progress.
“Little Stormzy has one of the best brains in the business. It was just a little bit swollen for a while he says,” the caption read.
On Sunday, Harbison shared that he got to see Stormy run “at top speed in a straight line” for the first time, noting that “he could have run all day long.”
“I have to say in the early days I was pretty doubtful myself. Stormzy was in agony and contorting his neck and totally unable to stand. His eyes were totally staring into space. Vacant,” he wrote in the caption.
“It’s not been as easy as the little video suggest. The one thing on his side was that Stormzy was still a puppy. He is still growing and his youthful energy kept making him get back up. The faceplants always looked so painful but he never stopped trying.”
According to VCA Animal Hospitals, brain injuries and swelling in dogs can disrupt their ability to do basic things such as stand, walk, balance and so on. Recovery often depends on how fast care is received, and younger dogs tend to have a more positive outlook.
Luckily for Stormzy, his owner found Harbison and his team, and as of today he found a new home in Thailand.
The lucky pup apparently had interest from “all over the world,” but the best home was right here he was being taken care of with a couple on the island of Phuket.
“It means no flight for him, a short journey, every box ticked for his living arrangements and he’ll never be that far away if he ever needs medical help or we want to see him maybe one day,” Harbison shared.
