Woman rescued a stray dog with an unusual round-shaped head

Most people try to ignore things that they feel have nothing to do with them, but Laura Forma has a softer heart. She did all she could when she saw a dog with a swollen head and no owner.

Forma would later learn that there was much more going on with the suffering animal.

The Houston, Texas woman saw the poor dog wondering the street late August 2018. She observed the animal's head was almost three times larger than it should be.

The video of the dog walking is found below.

She spoke to the Dodo saying: “I was driving down the street, and I saw him right in the middle of the street, walking head-on into traffic.”

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Forma said she immediately "pulled over and tried to get him, but he just kept running the other way. He wasn't even interested in me."

The independent dog rescuer attempted to draw the dog over by giving it food, but he turned the other way. The dog went into an enclosed housing complex nearby.

Unfortunately, Forma lost him there. She explained that "By the time I went in there and talked to the guard, I couldn't find him."

Forma was obliged to give up her physical search. But she took to Facebook to implore others to try and help.

Anna Barbosa, president and co-founder of Houston K-911 Rescue, noticed the post and took action.

"I happened to be close by that neighbourhood when she posted it, so I went out and had a look for him." She continued, "Couldn't find him. I asked people, but no one had any idea what I was talking about."

The evasive dog was not forgotten. Forma took it on her own to collect two volunteers, Tom Heller and Rob Acuna Jr., and search for the dog once again.

They finally discovered the creature lying low in a storage unit right in front of an apartment complex. The group secured the dog and drove him to VERGI Animal Hospital where Houston K-911 Rescue assumed care for him.

The rescuers named the dog Gus. They found out later that he had had a shoelace tied tightly around his neck. His head and neck suffered extreme swelling and bloating as a result.

Barbosa explained: "The fluids were unable to move through his body because it was cut off."

“What I think happened was that he was a puppy, and somebody who didn’t know better put a shoelace around him. Education is a huge part of dog ownership, and if you don’t know better, then you just do what to do. However, this is all speculation.”

Devastatingly, they also discovered that Gus received 28 pellets to his body due to being shot. The X-ray revealed them to be "on the right side of his body."

“I don’t know how it happened … was he held down? Was he tied up and [had] somebody shooting at him? Who knows.”

At this point, Gus' ability to pull through was in question. Barbosa described him as "vacant."

“You could tell that the amount of pain was probably just too overwhelming, so you could tell that he was in survivor mode.”

But the vet team did their best on Gus, who was thought to be only eight months old.

Eventually, he pulled through and was fostered with Marina Harrison thanks to the Houston K-911 Rescue.

Harrison updated persons on Gus's improvements:

“He was a little nervous at first, but he became more confident pretty quickly. He gives me a few tail wags here and there, he’s eating well. He likes to steal the other dogs’ beds when he gets the chance, so he’s got a little bit of personality coming out, which is really nice to see.”

Forma said of the remarkable animal that "he's doing great." She commented that it's like nothing happened. "He's super loving, and he just covered us with kisses and hugs. He's looking for a home, and he's going to make a great dog."

It will require a few more weeks before Gus fully recovers and can be put up for adoption.

Earlier in August, another rescue took place of an even younger set of pups. This time they had a mother to return to.

When Elizabeth brought back the pups to their mother, she observed that the dog was crying tears. The video went viral when she shared it on Facebook.

However, the tears are likely a sign of a condition called epiphora. This happens when a dog's tear ducts are blocked. It is easily treated.

Netizens were happy that the mother got her pups back, but hope that someone realizes the dog's suffering and is assisted further.