Whenever a sick or injured puppy is rescued, the story is worthwhile to tell but for this lucky little pup, the fact that he was nursed back to health by chimpanzees means his survival story is very unique.

Found sick and uncared for on the side of the road in Charlesville, Liberia, a tiny puppy was facing certain death had it not been for the kind hearted strangers who stopped to rescue him.

When Jenny Desmond saw the condition the puppy was in, she knew she was the dog’s only hope.

She stopped to help the dog and convinced the local villagers of her good intentions to nurse the dog back to heath. With their permission, she took the puppy knowing that she would never return it to the deplorable conditions it was living in.

She took the helpless pup to a nearby chimpanzee sanctuary she operated with her husband, Jim. This was not the first animal she rescued and took to the sanctuary, other animals included a chicken.

The tiny puppy was starving, covered in sores, had external parasites, and had worms. It was so hungry that it had started digesting its own small body. Jenny immediately gave the puppy a bath and subcutaneous fluids. Soon, the puppy was fed food and given water to drink.

After about five days, the puppy began growing hair but also had to begin wearing a tiny collar to keep it from chewing its wounds. The chimps at the sanctuary took a special liking to the tiny pup and began carrying it around and helping to nurse it back to health.

The chimps seemed to know that puppy was delicate and were very careful with the little dog. They acted as though they loved him so much and treated him like a little baby, even being careful with the tiny collar he wore. The care he was given was so sweet and adorable.

As the dog grew, he got healthier and the chimps and the pup stayed friends. Eventually the adorable dog was named Snafu. Although the chimp sanctuary was home to Snafu, Jenny knew the dog needed a family to call his own.

She arranged for Snafu to travel to Colorado where he would live with her nieces and have a great home. Snafu loved his new family and once there, began playing in the snow.

Despite his rough start in life, he didn’t let that stop him from growing up to be an amazing dog.
Despite her focus on rescuing chimps, Desmond has rescued all sorts of animals. As one of the staff at her sanctuary says, Desmond has saved everything from chickens to grasshoppers.

Jenny and her husband continue their work in Liberia and are building a new sanctuary for the chimpanzees they rescue from the exotic pet trade market. They are also working on opening a conservation center to protect Liberia’s remaining chimps that are living in their wild habitat.

Although we know that Snafu loves his new life, we wonder if he ever thinks about the chimps that cared for him and were some of his first friends. Please share his amazing story with your family and friends.

To learn more about and support Jenny’s extraordinary work rescuing animals in Liberia, please visit: Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue.