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We called him "thin-necked Blackie" because the 25-kg big dog had so thin a neck of only 2 centimeters. "It's one of the most heartbreaking experience in my rescue missions for so many years," said Joseph Ni, leader of Animal Rescue Team. Blackie was found by a lady living in Ah-lien Township located in Kaohsiung County. The lady worked as a help in the kitchen of a military training camp and Blackie was one of the homeless staying there. She fed the dogs with leftover secretly even though she was not allowed to. The men at the camp knew that Blackie was badly wounded in the neck but they paid no attention nor did they care about it.
When Joseph watched the dogs in the distance, he found several dogs playing in the field, but Blackie was alone listlessly crouching in a corner against the wall. Slowly, Joseph approached the dog and hid himself in back of Blackie. All the other dogs sensed the approaching stranger. However, Blackie still stayed there. The pain of her neck left her oblivious of the stranger behind her.
Joseph smelled the disgusting odor of rotten flesh coming from Blackie's neck. He calmed her down with the blowdart and checked the neck covered by the hair. The lady also stooped to check the wound and then burst out crying. It's really shocking to see that the dog's neck was almost broken. This 25-kg big dog has a neck as thin as that of a chicken!
Joseph called the vet immediately for making preparation for an urgent surgery. "All the way from Ah-lien to Kaohsiung, my heart was crumpled like a broken piece of paper. For the first time, I knew how it felt to be heartbroken," said Joseph. The vet was also shocked when checking Blackie's neck. It took him quite a long time to clean the wound. A rusty piece of wire and a look-like string were removed from the dog's neck. "It's a miracle that Blackie should survive," remarked the vet, who later told Joseph that there was no way to have a surgery for Blackie. The wound had destroyed not only the dog's trachea but also the throat. It's impossible to protect the wound with anything. He had no other choice but to leave it exposed to the open air.
Even though Blackie's condition was very critical and fatal, he had stayed in the animal hospital for four months before he passed away. During the period, Joseph paid him a visit every day even though he had to carry out a lot of rescue missions. He had developed friendship with Blackie. Daily visits for Joseph are quite a suffering because he could do nothing for Blackie but pray.
Blackie's ashes were later taken home by Joseph. Blackie now has a permanent home. The tortured soul has to linger around no more.
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