Mr Wiggles...

ASPCA Success Story of the Week: Shakin’ It

Back in March, while in search of a companion for her dog Sadie, Lucy Arnold visited Pet Helpers Rescue and Adoption Shelter in Charleston, SC. “I saw a frail Lab mix sitting in the corner of his kennel,” remembers Lucy. “The tip of his tail was raw and bleeding and I could have counted every rib on his body.” The pup, named Mr. Wiggles, had been abandoned in the bathroom of a house that had allegedly been foreclosed on. He weighed only seven pounds when rescued and, apparently due to anxiety, had started chewing on his tail.

“I sat down slowly in his kennel,” Lucy tells us, “and he rested his head on my knee. I knew at that moment that I wanted to nurture Mr. Wiggles back to health, and I felt sure that Sadie, my gentle 93-pound giant, would be great with him.”

On his first day at home, it became apparent how frightened Mr. Wiggles was. “He would go into a corner and put his face against the wall or hide under the bed,” recalls Lucy. “Sadie would carry her favorite ball to the bed and wait patiently for him to poke his head out.” Slowly Mr. Wiggles began to interact with her. Meanwhile, Lucy fed the malnourished pup small meals to get his system used to food and daily cleaned and bandaged the wound on his tail.

Just six months later, Mr. Wiggles weighs 36 pounds and, now sporting a gorgeous, healthy coat, loves to run and play with Sadie and other friends from the dog park. “His favorite game is chase,” Lucy reports. “He’s usually out front, leading the pack with a smile on his face and his tail wagging—really, his tail never stops wagging!”

"Although I didn’t name him, I can see how he got his name,” his mom muses with a smile. “When I come home from work or when he’s playing, his whole body shakes, he gets so excited!”