Stray Dog Reaches Out Paw To Woman For Help

"I think he knew I was going to help him.”

When Kylina Turner first spotted Caro, she didn’t realize that the small bundle of fur was actually a dog.

“I thought he was a stuffed animal,” Turner told The Dodo. “He was completely frozen still, staring at me. I figured I should check just in case, and as I walked up to him his ear twitched.”

“I was completely shocked that this was an animal,” Turner added, “let alone a living one.”

A sick German shepherd on the streets of Austin, Texas
Kylina Turner

Caro’s legs were stuck in a wire bed frame in the backyard of an Austin, Texas, property. Too weak to free himself from the mangled box spring, Caro knew Turner was his only hope — so he held out his paw.

“He wasn’t scared of me and didn’t make a sound,” Turner said. “He just watched what I was doing with a blank look in his eyes. I think he knew I was going to help him.”

Turner was terrified to touch the skeletal dog, so she took off her sweater and wrapped it around his small, 18-pound frame before gingerly lifting him out of the bed. Turner was shocked by how trusting the young dog was. “He followed right by my side as we walked to my car, where he immediately fell asleep, finally feeling safe,” she said.

Caro the sick stray dog goes to the vet
Kylina Turner

Afraid that the pup was too sick to endure a 20-minute ride to the nearest animal shelter, Turner decided to head straight to the vet instead. When she arrived, the team made sure he was stable and, in the process, fell in love with the 6-month-old dog.

“The vet techs told me they would keep him there and pool their money to pay for his recovery,” Turner said. “That night I started a GoFundMe for Caro.”

A checkup revealed that the young dog was malnourished, sunburned and dehydrated, and had the worst case of mange the vet had ever seen.

Caro gets his mange treated at the vet
Kylina Turner

Unsure if Caro would survive medical treatment, Turner made a habit of checking in — but the dog could barely move.

“During the week Caro was at the vet, I visited and checked on him daily,” Turner said. “The techs were always very excited about the littlest things — 'He lifted his head up today,' 'He walked to the other side of his kennel today,' 'He was able to eat solid food today.' It was heartbreaking.”

Despite how little Caro could interact with his surroundings, Turner found herself growing attached to the sick little dog. She decided that, once Caro left the vet, she would foster him until he regained his strength.

Once she got him, of course, things didn't go quite to plan.

“It didn't take long until I realized I wouldn't be able to give Caro up,” Turner said. “The first couple weeks were rocky. My 7-year-old dog, Casey, was not very interested in losing her title of Only Child, but they quickly became best friends!”

Turner gave Caro medicated baths to treat his mange and fed him small meals four times a day to help him put on weight. Slowly, Caro transformed.

His thick brown and black fur began to grow in ...

Caro snuggles with his owner
Kylina Turner

… and with every pound he gained, he started to look more and more like a young, healthy German shepherd.

A healthy Caro looks like a whole new dog
Kylina Turner

Thanks to Turner’s commitment, Caro is like a whole new dog.

“He is now 9 months old and 50 pounds, with the softest and fluffiest coat ever and absolutely no health issues,” Turner said.

Kylina Turner

Though Caro looks nothing like his old self, inside he’s still the same trusting dog Turner met that very first day.

“He has the best disposition of any dog I've ever owned or met,” Turner said. “He's the most trusting dog and loves people including children … he is a submissive little baby who never barks despite being a 'scary' German shepherd.”

Caro the rescued German shepherd snuggles with Kylina Turner
Kylina Turner

Months later, Turner is so glad that she noticed Caro and couldn’t picture life without him.

“Caro has brought us more happiness than I thought possible,” Turner said. “He is the funniest puppy and we’re constantly laughing at something he’s doing.”

Caro is clearly pretty happy with the situation, too.

“Once his energy has subsided he turns into the sweetest little teddy bear,” Turner added. “I fall asleep wrapped around him in my bed and he doesn’t move all night.”

To learn more about Caro’s adventures, you can follow him on Instagram.