There are no green acres for retired hunting dogs in Ireland. No master's voice calling them home for good. No curling up by the fire to warm those world-weary bones. When she outlived her usefulness in the field, all Merci could expect was a place to curl up and die. The 10-year-old sighthound, also known as a lurcher, found just that in a farmer's shed. Then, unexpectedly, she found mercy. Someone spotted the ailing animal and got in touch with Gina Hetherington, founder of PAWS Animal Rescue Ireland . When they found her, Merci's body was in terrible condition. She was given a medical score of "1," the lowest a dog can get and still breathe — meaning, according to the Veterinary Medicine Center at Ohio State University , there's "no visible body fat" with ribs, pelvic bones and vertebrae "evident from a distance." In a word, she was emaciated. "The fleas were literally crawling off her he...
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