Skinny, hairless stray dog shocks everyone when her fur starts to grow

If you decide to get a dog, it’s a lifelong responsibility – unfortunately, many people don’t seem to grasp that.

Mrs. Greg the dog was discovered roaming the streets, homeless and in poor condition.

Fortunately, an animal control officer found her, and that’s when her wonderful journey began.

But things could have ended very badly for Mrs. Greg. She didn’t do well when she arrived at her new shelter, and life there became a real struggle for the poor puppy.

The shelter didn’t have enough resources to care for Mrs. Greg, so she was soon moved to Austin Pets Alive!. Founded in 1997, their mission is that every shelter animal, in Central Texas and beyond, gets a true chance at the life they deserve.

After arriving at Austin Pets Alive, it was discovered that Mrs. Greg had severe sarcoptic mange. She also tested positive for parvovirus. Canine parvovirus (CPV) is a highly contagious viral disease of dogs that often causes acute gastrointestinal illness. When dogs are affected by this disease, especially ones that are already thin and sick, things can go really wrong.

The prognosis usually looks far from good – but Mrs. Greg would prove to be a true fighter.

Instead, it was the mange that created the most problems for the poor dog. It took a long time before Mrs. Greg could recover, and for a while, it seemed like her fur would never grow back. The staff at Austin Pets Alive realized that this was a big problem – partly for Mrs. Greg’s health, partly because it would probably make adoption impossible in the future.

Fortunately, a woman named Olivia reached out. She wanted to adopt Mrs. Greg no matter what – and she also chose to rename the dog Winnie.

Olivia took care of Winnie as if she were her own child and did everything in her power to make the sweet little dog feel better.

“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.”

When Olivia adopted Winnie, it was highly uncertain if her fur would ever grow back. She and Winnie might even have resigned themselves to the idea that Winnie would remain a hairless dog.

But as Winnie felt all the love and security, something happened to her fur. It started growing thicker and thicker, stronger and stronger. It was a big experience for both of them.

“I cannot believe how much fur she has now,” Olivia said. “I feel like she keeps getting more!”

We’ve seen many examples before of dogs rehabilitated back to their former glory with the help of kind people.

And this is certainly no exception – how wonderful to see Winnie with so much fur! Today, she is evidently a much happier and healthier dog, so we keep our fingers crossed that Olivia and Winnie will have many wonderful years together ahead!