Matt Bentley was doing some off-roading in Utah on Sunday when he spotted something out of the corner of his eye running through the desert: a large animal who was completely bald.
“She had probably been out there forever,” Bentley said in a video. “She was miles from anyone.”
Clearly desperate for help, the dog was more than willing to jump into Bentley’s car. But even though she knew she was safe, she couldn’t stop shaking and trying to itch her already inflamed skin.
He rushed her to a nearby animal hospital. The hospital soon got in touch with Utah Animal Adoption Center, which offered to sponsor her care. Lila Oulson, the shelter manager, couldn’t believe her eyes once she finally met the dog.
“I was shocked,” Oulson told The Dodo. “I’d never seen anything like her before. Her paw pads are so red that every step she takes, you can just tell it hurts her to walk. She’s so itchy that she just sits there and cries from the pain.”
Oulson named her Kelly, which means warrior in Gaelic. No one knows where she came from, but it’s likely she was a stray or was even dumped there by her previous owner — if she had one. She’s estimated to be between 7 and 10 years old.
Currently on antibiotics to help ward off any infection from her mange, Kelly is already starting to feel a little relief after only a few days of care. Her overgrown nails have finally been cut and Oulson hopes that, later this week, she will be well enough to get a bath to help soothe her irritated skin.
“Within two to three weeks, the mites will hopefully be gone and she’ll start the slow process of growing her hair back,” Oulson said. “Right now, we have no idea what type of dog she is — she could be a hound mix, or she could be a poodle.”
Regardless of her breed, it hasn’t taken Kelly long to show rescuers how much she appreciates their giving her the care she so desperately needed.
Once she is healthy enough, Kelly will be spayed and put up for adoption — which could be in as soon as one month.