When animal control picked up a stray dog wandering the streets alone, she looked like she had barely survived whatever life had thrown at her.
Scrawny, sick, and completely hairless, the little pup was taken to a local shelter — but her condition was so bad, the shelter couldn’t give her the care she needed.
Worst diagnoses
That’s when Austin Pets Alive! stepped in to give her a real shot at survival.
“Mrs. Greg was in poor condition,” said Luis Sanchez, director of public relations and communications at Austin Pets Alive! told The Dodo.
“She tested positive for parvovirus and had severe sarcoptic mange.”
Two of the worst diagnoses a shelter dog can get — both contagious, painful, and often fatal. Most dogs don’t survive parvo. But somehow, Mrs. Greg did.
She kept fighting.
The mange, however, proved even more stubborn. While the parvo cleared, the mange clung on, and her rescuers noticed something odd: her fur just wasn’t growing back. Her body was healing, but she remained mostly hairless. Some at the shelter feared that would make people pass her by.
But then came volunteer Olivia.
Renamed her
She didn’t see a sick, bald dog. She saw a survivor — and she knew she had to bring her home. She renamed her Winnie and gave her the one thing no medical treatment could: unconditional love.
“I know she fought through the parvo and mange in the shelter and it took a while for her to be fully okay after being adopted,” Olivia told The Dodo. “She kept getting sick and having tummy issues, but she was a trooper and a happy puppy through it all.”
Winnie’s first few weeks at home weren’t easy. She still battled stomach issues and took longer than expected to bounce back completely. And her fur? Still no signs of it returning. Olivia didn’t mind one bit.
“I had no idea if Winnie’s fur would ever grow or if she would just stay a half-hairless pup forever,” she said. “I didn’t mind either way.”
But then something incredible happened — her fur started to grow. Slowly at first… then more… and more…
Until one day, Winnie was completely unrecognizable. When she was no longer surrounded by sick puppies, unfamiliar people, and strange sounds and smells, Winnie got the chance to blossom.
“I cannot believe how much fur she has now,” Olivia said. “I feel like she keeps getting more!”
The once sick, bald street dog is now covered in the fluffiest coat anyone’s ever seen — and lives every day as a reminder that love, patience, and second chances can change everything.
From hairless to head-turner, Winnie is finally living the life she deserves — and we couldn’t be happier for her!
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