A Great Dane and a Tosa Inu were left to fend for themselves after their family’s house burned down.
When Jessie and Breana with Fresno Humane Animal Services in California pulled up to the property they were first approached by Oma the Great Dane. The humane officers were wary but soon realized Oma was very friendly. She was also very skinny and had problems with her skin.
But Sakura the Tosa Inu was in far worse health. She lay in the dirt and didn’t move. As they got closer to her they noticed her legs were badly swollen and she couldn’t get up.
The dogs’ condition was evidence of neglect and hardship. Both dogs were kind and sweet-natured but in really bad shape.
As soon as Breana and Jessie got the dogs into their van they went straight to their shelter clinic. They contacted the dog’s owner and learned that both dogs had been used for breeding but the owner was no longer able to care for them. So Fresno Humane Animal Services reached out to One Dane At A Time animal rescue for help.
When One Dane At A Time arrived at the shelter to pick the two dogs up the first thing they noticed was the smell. Both dogs had bad skin infections with “the smell of yeast you could smell 50ft away…” The dogs’ paws were also “oozing pus.”
Oma and Sakura leaving the shelter with One Dane At A Time
In the weeks following their rescue, the dogs gained weight slowly and their coats improved. “These two girls have had THE WORST lives…until now,” One Dane At A Time wrote in an update showing the dogs walking in a field of sunflowers.
Oma and Sakura enjoying the sunshine. One Dane At A Time
Erika, Founder of One Dane At A Time, said in the Dodo video that it took two weeks for the dogs to begin coming out of their shell but when she saw their tails begin to wag she knew they were going to be all right.
“Oma and Sakura are doing FANTASTIC! Their personalities are really starting to shine. They are very, very different! And, NOT bonded AT ALL, actually,” One Dane At A Time later shared on a Facebook post.
They added, “Sakura (Tosa) is VERY independent… wants to just veg in a cool (dirty) spot and Oma (Dane) is your typical dane… wants to be on you and velcro and loves to rub her muzzle into everything and everyone! They are BOTH the sweetest dogs.”
The two dogs are now ready to find their forever homes. One Day At the Time thinks the dogs will do great in a household with low activity and lots of love, ideally with someone who is retired.