SILVERTON, Ore. — Warning: Some images showing the dog's injuries in the video above may be difficult for some people to see.
Phoenix is a typical, fourth-month-old puppy: full of energy and sometimes acting like a troublemaker. He's still trying to navigate the simple things in his young life; it's been a rough start.
"He can be ornery at times, especially when it comes to the bandage changes," said Tammy Lalack, the owner of Woods Creek Rescue in Silverton, Oregon. Lalack cares for 32 dogs at her rescue.
Phoenix came into Lalack's life after she saw him in a Facebook post from an animal shelter in Fresno, California. When she initially saw a photo of him bandaged up and needing lots of medical care, she passed.
"I can't do a medical out here," she said. But she had a change of heart. "I don't know what changed my mind."
The photo stuck with her and when she saw it again, something about it grabbed her attention.
"Sure enough, there was a post with SOS," Lalack said, talking about an additional Facebook post shared by the Fresno animal shelter. "Without even a second breath, I said I'll take the burned puppy."
The SOS post meant Phoenix would have been euthanized, according to Lalack.
When Phoenix arrived to Oregon few days later, Lalack didn't know how bad his burns were. She had never seen his bandages removed. When veterinarians from Oregon State University removed his bandages, the extent of the burns shocked her. He had fourth-degree burns on all four feet, his legs and up his belly. His back feet and legs were burned worse than the front.
"I turned my phone on and went into the room and it was kind of bad. They were really bad burns," Lalack said.
She doesn't know how he was burned and veterinarians aren't sure what he was burned with. All Lalack knows is that he was found in an alley behind a man's house, crying for help and that the man dropped him off at an emergency veterinarian's office.
KGW news spoke with that man who told the same story. He said Phoenix was having a hard time standing up and was crying in pain.
If the burns were done by the hands of a human, Lalack doesn't understand why. "It has to be really, really cruel person to even think that someone could possibly injure a puppy."
These days, either Lalack or a volunteer will take Phoenix to the vet to get his bandages changed. He needs them done about three times a week and it costs Lalack about $200 to $300 a visit. The bandage changes are uncomfortable and painful for Phoenix, so veterinarians briefly sedate him while he gets clean ones put on. He's getting better; his burns are healing a little at a time.
"That's a little pad material that's coming back," Phoenix's vet at Alpine Animal Hospital in Corvallis told Lalack during a recent visit.
He'll need the bandages changed until the scar tissues cover his feet. As the burns heal, the scars will remain there forever. Even after his treatments are complete, Phoenix will most likely need to wear booties on his feet for the rest of his life.
The good news is that he'll have a new home when he's ready for adoption. Lalack said it'll be a few more months before that happens. She wants him to be 100% healthy before she puts him up for adoption.
If you'd like to help out with Phoenix's care, you can make a donation under his name at the Alpine Animal Hospital, or contact Woods Creek Rescue to learn how. Woods Creek Rescue is listed with the Oregon Secretary of State's office as a Domestic Nonprofit.