“We had no idea what breed he was.”
Two years ago, rescuers from Mission Paws’ible encountered a stray dog wandering the streets of Uluwatu, Bali. The poor pup was in terrible condition — emaciated, covered in scabs, and nearly hairless.
“It was frightening to see the condition he was in,” Prue Barber, founder of Mission Paws’ible, shared with The Dodo.
It was clear that the dog needed urgent medical care and a lot of love. Despite his deep mistrust of humans, Barber knew she had to rescue him. She visited the dog daily, offering him food by hand, and slowly earned his trust. After a week, the dog, whom she named Buzz, allowed Barber to carry him to her car.
Barber rushed Buzz to the vet, where they immediately started medical treatment. “Buzz didn’t need much — just some skin medicine, time, and love,” Mission Paws’ible wrote on their website.
At first, no one at Mission Paws’ible knew what Buzz would look like once he began to heal. But as the days passed, and his skin started to improve, they began to notice some clues — the few strands of hair that were growing in were long and a golden hue.
As his scabs disappeared and his shiny, glorious coat began to grow, it became clear that Buzz was a golden retriever. The transformation was astonishing — no one had guessed that the once-nearly naked pup would become so fluffy.
As Buzz’s appearance changed, his sweet, friendly personality shone through. “Unsurprisingly, he was incredibly friendly,” Barber said. “He was just a chill dog.”
Barber decided to foster Buzz until he found his forever home. Soon enough, a woman who ran an acrobatic school in Bali fell in love with him and took him in.
Now, Buzz spends his days hanging out in the studio, making fast friends with the customers — and even trying out some of their acrobatic moves! It’s hard to believe that not too long ago, Buzz was a sick, scared dog wandering the streets of Uluwatu.
“Honestly, he’s just a pure soul,” Barber reflected, proud of Buzz’s incredible journey.