In the spring of 2019, Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) received a call they’ll never forget — a dog had been found tied to a fence, injured and alone. Nothing could have prepared the team for what they saw when they arrived.
They were expecting to find a dog in need, but what they found was a heartbreaking sight: a pup whose face was so swollen it was nearly unrecognizable.
“His face was swollen to almost five times its normal size,” SRSL wrote in a Facebook post. “He’d clearly been suffering in the sun, his wounds left untreated.”
The dog, later named Marco, had likely been sitting there in pain for days. Though clearly in agony, Marco’s tail still wagged when rescuers approached — a quiet show of hope and trust.
The SRSL team gently freed Marco from the fence and rushed him to their emergency clinic. The situation was dire.
Marco had become septic, and his body was overwhelmed by infection. He was placed on IV fluids, antibiotics, and round-the-clock care. The road ahead was long and uncertain.
“We told him to hang on, to fight,” the team recalled.
Though his past was unknown, the nature of Marco’s wounds suggested he may have been used in dog fighting. But what amazed his caregivers most wasn’t just his resilience — it was his enduring capacity for love.
“He still trusted humans,” SRSL said. “Despite everything, he still gave affection and looked to us for comfort.”
Over the course of several months, Marco slowly healed. The swelling subsided, and for the first time, the world got to see the sweet, beautiful face that had been hidden beneath all that pain.
Once he was well enough, Marco went into foster care with a woman named Katie. But it didn’t take long before temporary turned into forever.
“Marco is spoiled rotten … like, really rotten,” Katie shared with SRSL. “He’s the perfect mix of silly, sweet, smart, and protective.”
Now, Marco’s days are filled with love, playtime, and peace. He curls up in cozy blankets at night and keeps watch from his favorite window during the day.
The trauma he once endured is behind him — replaced by the warm embrace of family.
“He’s still just the cutest little man with his head tilts,” Katie said. “We love our baby boy, Marco.”
To support more dogs like Marco on their journey to healing, you can donate to Stray Rescue of St. Louis here.
