THE STORY OF PRECIOUS This is one of the worst cases of neglect we have ever seen at Bleakholt. One night someone tied a dog to a fence in the lane. When our staff found it they brought it in to safety. This poor dog couldn't walk properly as his nails were so overgrown they had turned under his feet and into his pads. He had no fur at all on his thin body; he just looked like a plucked chicken. Both his eyes were covered with discharge from his infections. After discussions with the vet it was decided that we should give him a chance - the staff called him Precious. Precious was only allowed 5 small meals a day as his stomach was not used to good food. He also had sarcoptic mange. This is a very contagious disease. Treatment was regular bathing, and the staff had to wear special protective clothing to make sure that they did not pass the mange on, or indeed contract it themselves. (It also affects humans.) Some days we wondered if we had made the right decision. The staff were great. They never gave up - they definitely walked the extra mile. Our much loved Precious made it. Some nice people offered our Precious a home and he has thankfully made a full recovery. He now looks a totally different dog.
	You will see from the pictures below how Precious has progressed over the months that he was at the sanctuary. There is a date on each of the photographs so you can see the gradual improvement. Precious has now gone to a good home and we hope that he will have many years of happiness to make up for his previous treatment. His story only leaves us wondering what kind of person could treat a dog in the way that Precious was treated? It is stories like this that inspire the continued good work of all the staff and volunteers here at Bleakholt.