“Werewolf” Has Been Standing By The Side Of The Road For Months: Then A Stranger Approaches And Sees The Unthinkable

Scaly skin, patchy fur and a crooked tail: the animal lingering near a California orchard looked so strange that people nicknamed him a “werewolf.” Almost no one stopped to find out what he really was. In March 2018, one woman did.

The Creature by the Orchard

For weeks, drivers in Madera Ranchos, in California’s Central Valley, spotted a thin black animal near an orchard along the road. His coat was matted, his skin was crusted and raw, and he could barely walk. Nobody knew whether he was dangerous or contagious, so they kept their distance.

One Facebook Post, One Rescuer

Eventually, someone photographed him and shared the picture on Facebook. Megan Bowe, who runs Bowe’s Adoptable Rescued Pups, saw it and rushed to the scene. “I was about ready to cry when I saw how bad off he was,” she told The Dodo, according to The Epoch Times.

What she found was not a monster but a German shepherd, only about a year old, who looked far older because of how sick he was. She named him King and drove him straight to an emergency vet.

What Was Wrong

The veterinarian found scabies, a broken pelvis and a broken tail, along with a severe case of mange. Bowe said the vet believed King had been hit by a car months earlier, since the injuries had already started to heal badly. With such a damaged pelvis, he couldn’t travel far to look for food, which left him extremely thin and dehydrated.

His tail was so severely infected that the vet initially said it would need to be amputated, and his medical bills topped $500 within days, according to KMPH.

A Slow Climb Back

Because mange is highly contagious, Bowe set up a quarantine area in her garage and began feeding King small amounts of food, increasing the portions gradually. After about six weeks of treatment, his skin cleared and he was strong enough for surgery on his hip and tail.

By late May 2018, ABC30 reported King was recovering well, enjoying a big orthopedic bed and waiting for a forever home. Bowe was taking adoption applications. “All it took was one person,” Bowe told Shared.com, reflecting on the cars that passed him by.

How to Help a Dog Like King

Rescues like Bowe’s run on donations, and the costs add up quickly. Here is what readers should know:

• Emergency vet care. Treatment for injuries, infections and mange can cost thousands, so compare pet insurance plans and consider a pet emergency fund before something happens.
• Mange treatment. A vet can prescribe mange treatments and medicated shampoos, and affected dogs usually need to be kept apart from other pets.
• Recovery gear. An orthopedic dog bed, joint supplements and a support harness can help dogs recovering from fractures or surgery.
• Support rescues. A donation to a local dog rescue or fostering helps animals that nobody else will take.
• Found a stray? Contact your local animal control or a nearby rescue instead of approaching a frightened, sick animal alone.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the “werewolf”? A sick, neglected German shepherd about one year old, later named King.

What was wrong with King? A broken pelvis, a broken and infected tail, and a severe case of scabies and mange.

Who rescued him? Megan Bowe, founder of Bowe’s Adoptable Rescued Pups, who took him to an emergency vet in March 2018.

Was King adopted? By May 2018 he was recovering well and taking adoption applications, and The Epoch Times later reported that Bowe said he was doing fine.

Sources: KMPH, ABC30, Shared.com, iHeartDogs.com, and The Epoch Times, all covering the 2018 rescue of King, a neglected German shepherd nicknamed the “werewolf,” by Megan Bowe in Madera Ranchos, California.