Local pup rescued from brutal abuse in Thaliand

SURF CITY, NC (WWAY) — A dog adopted all the way from Thailand is living up to his name, Hero. You’d never know it, but Celelia Garritt helped save her dog Hero from the brink of death.

For Garritt, rescuing Hero from his native Thailand was necessary.

“He was brutally stabbed by some young men with a machete,” said Garritt.

Luckily a young woman brought Hero to the SOI Dog Foundation’s medical facility.

“They run a medical hospital for dogs and they rescue the street dogs and the dogs saved by the dog meat trade,” Garritt said.

Garritt sponsored his recovery, and after months of watching his progress from afar, Hero boarded a plane and made it to his forever home in North Carolina.

“We just cried and cried. We were so happy,” said Garritt of the first time she met Hero at the airport.

Now he has a family who loves him and cares about him, and six other rescue pups to play with at home.

“He’s wonderful. He’s very protective and we have a very special bond,” said Garritt.

She has become an advocate for other animals like Hero who are in need of the kind of help the SOI Dog Foundation provides.

“I think it’s 2-3 million dogs a year are brutally beaten and tortured for food in Asia and they’re trying to stop that,” said Garritt.

She said SOI Dogs saves thousands of dog and cats every year by providing medical attention and spay and neuter services to help stop the cycle of neglected street animals from continuing.

For more on SOI Dog click here.