Ten-week-old Casper was in a bad spot in a ‘remote area of Kentucky’ when PetPromise Inc. arranged to pick him up. The rescue was contacted about the Great Pyrenees pup and told “there was something wrong with his foot – he was missing some toes”.

They arranged transport and a foster group and soon Casper (and his sister, Rowan) were on the verge of helping but immediately had to be rushed to the vet.

“One of our amazing volunteers traveled to Cincinnati to meet the transport and pick up Casper and his sister Rowan. Upon arriving home, she noticed that they were completely infested with ticks – we’re talking head to toe, in their ears, embedded under their skin, between their toes – everywhere! She transported them both straight to our friends at Rascal Animal Hospital where the vets immediately went to work on them. They were treated for ticks, vaccinated and given a full examination. Poor Rowan was so infested that she had to be completely shaved!

The rescue added: “While there we had them do x-rays of Casper’s foot to see what the problem was. What they found was quite a shock. He was born with a deformed paw, his toes were completely deformed, and he had stress fractures in his leg from not being able to balance properly.

Casper’s options were either to have his leg amputated (which, for a dog that will grow to around 120 pounds, isn’t ideal) or to have surgery on his foot to remove his toes and fit him with a foot prosthesis. Although prostheses are the longest and most expensive option, they give her the best chance of a long and happy life, so it was this option that was chosen by the rescue.

Rowan has since been adopted by one of the staff at Rascal Animal Hospital. As for Caspar?

“Casper is now tick-free and spending time in his foster home, writes PetPromise: “He LOVES other dogs, his foster siblings, and everyone he meets. Because he and his sister were born and moved outside where they came from, they were very shy at first. He has been with us for a month, he has completely blossomed and completely come out of his shell! He’s affectionate, sweet and just a beautiful, giant, happy boy!

While in foster care, Rascal Charities helped get Casper a prosthetic leg.

The artificial limb helps him walk and move around.

Shortly after his stay in foster care, Casper found his forever home and became the rescue’s spokesperson and appears at many of their events.