Meet Willy Wonka, a bubbly 2-year-old pit bull, but his world changes when an unfortunate ᴀᴄᴄɪᴅᴇɴᴛ causes him to lose his ears. Sarah Varanini, communications director for the Sacramento SPCA, shared. “He just lost his earlobe and he can still hear!”
After two visits to the vet, Willy’s dad could no longer afford his treatment, so he gave the puppy to the SPCA in hopes of getting the care he needed. By the time Willy arrived at the SPCA, he needed intensive care to get well again.
“We spent the next few weeks cleaning the area, changing sutures and staples, and changing the dressing every day. Despite his obviously ᴘᴀɪɴꜰᴜʟ injuries and traumatic events prior to his arrival, he has always had faith in shelter staff and is an outstanding patient.” says Vanini.
Willy has a long road to recovery, but the ᴘᴀɪɴ doesn’t stop his heart, the puppy has fallen in love with the shelter staff and they feel the same way about him. Varanini said: “The medical team at the shelter at SPCA loved him so much. “What led to the creation of the ears”
A registered veterinary technician, John, has developed an extremely special relationship with Willy.
John feared that Willy’s lack of ears might make his adopters think he was intimidating or unapproachable, so the compassionate veterinary technician devised a plan where they would hook up a replacement pair of ears. for the puppy. “According to John, at home they just have the right yarn colors: white and pink to match Willy’s coat,” says Varanini. “They can ‘whip’ their ears in just one evening.”
The next day, John returned to the shelter and placed his ears on Willy’s head.
“At first, Willy was confused about the weird thing we were trying to put on his head,” Varanini said. “But once he realized that he got a lot of rewards for wearing that hat, he accepted our photo session so much more!”
The staff took pictures of Willy with the hooked ears and uploaded them to their social media sites. As they expected, Willy’s hooked ears attracted a lot of attention. Not long after, the dog was adopted into a loving forever home.
Willy has changed a lot physically since his first days at SPCA, he is now fully recovered, but one thing remains unchanged: his personality. “Willy is just as lovely now as he came,” Varanini said. “He’s a playful giant marshmallow man and an extraordinary man of cuddles.”
The staff at the Sacramento SPCA miss Willy every day, but they’re glad he has a home now. “He did very well,” Varanini said. “Willy has earned his spot on the couch and is showing his new puppy brother Zeus, watching the ropes. He also met cats for the first time!”
While he no longer needs hooked ears to find a home, Willy’s former carers hope his custom ears continue to provide him comfort and remind him of friendship. life that he had at the Sacramento SPCA.