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Cassidy Henderson

Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 2010, Section 3

4 March 2019

Benji: The Poodle Left to Die

During a Wednesday afternoon in a dead end-street in the village of Eye, near

Cambridge, England, an animal that barely resembled a dog was found quivering in fear in the

gutters of a street. The poor poodle mix had thick locks of weather-beaten and matted fur that

resembled more of a ​clump of dry dirt than a living animal. “Apart from the matting, he smelt

extremely bad and his fur was coated in faeces, urine and fleas.” The dog was left for dead in the

streets of Cambridge, and was said to have been stranded there for at least a year.

If it were not for a group of selfless teenagers who had found the dog and called the

RSPCA on June 13, 2018, the dog (later named Benji) would have died within a short time after.

The teenagers even went out of their way to provide the suffering hound some soft and calming

music in attempt to calm him down as well as wrapping him up in some of their own clothing. “I

fear he may not have been found had it not been for them, and he could have died a slow and

painful death.” Although the dog potentially could have been dangerous and sickly, these kids

went out of their way to save him. There are many things to be said about teenagers these days,

but this was a very selfless and noble deed they acted upon. The world needs more people like

this; people who will go out of their way to help others, no matter how big or how small they

may be.
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Due to how badly Benji’s fur was matted, ​he had to get nearly two pounds of fetid fur cut

off of his small body. He was so petrified of everything due to how long he was out on the streets

that he had to be sedated so he could calm down and act more normal. Otherwise, he would be

violently shaking and feeling every bit of pain he experienced on the streets. ​Benji’s case was

shattering to many people, especially to those who witnessed the poor poodle at his worst. Once

he was brought back to ​the out-of-hours emergency surgery at Cromwell Veterinary Group, they

replaced most of the dehydrated dog’s fluids and put him on painkillers hoping to bring his body

back to normal. After he was sedated, they began the process of shaving off his horrendous coat.

As they started the process of removing the two pounds of ratty fur, something horrifying

was discovered. “The RSPCA said the long fur cut off circulation to one of the poodle cross’s

feet and the paw ‘effectively died’.” Benji’s right paw was non-existent. His own fur strangled

the foot off and it was left to die. Such an amputation must have been extremely painful for Benji

and he had to suffer through it all alone. If it were not for his tangle of fur, the leg would have

never been choked off and removed. It seems as if the paw was not recently removed from his

body due to the fact that skin had already grown over the stub. It can only be imaginable the

amount of suffering he went through when his blood supply had been restricted and the foot fell

off.

Officials are looking for the person who did this to Benji and they are determined to find

whoever was in charge of the dog so they can bring justice to the situation. ​“It is possible that the

pup was in their charge for a long time, as the injuries he endured are doubtless the result of

chronic neglect over months or even years.” He wasn’t just thrown onto the streets, he was

abused in his own home. Everywhere this dog has been he experienced pain and suffering. Benji
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was injured while in the care of this owner, possibly due to their abusive actions. “The person

who let him get [into] a condition like this is truly the lowest of the low, there is just no excuse

for it.”

The community is hoping karma will come after whoever did this, but in the meantime,

people are sharing this story and urging everyone to stand up for Benji and to put this case to a

close. Facebook posts asking for help are going viral as well as one that shows a picture of a

woman’s own healthy poodle compared to the abused dog. The obviously well-cared-for and

loved poodle looks fluffy and clean. “This is how poor Benji the poodle should look,” they wrote

in the caption. The U.K. Animal Welfare Act, 2006, gives the RSPCA power to legally prosecute

and give warnings to people who don’t take good care of their animals. The owner of the pet is

strictly responsible for the abuse and neglect caused.

Benji is doing a lot better now, he is one of the sweetest and friendliest dogs the RSPCA

has seen. The most neglected dogs know deep inside what the worst may be, making them the

best dogs. This is what happened to Benji, since he had been in such a terrible state before, he

decided to never let that happen again. The poodle mix now resembles a dog rather than a mess

of tangled fur, this is because he finally lives in a safe environment. Thanks to those teenagers

who found the frightened dog, he will live a longer and happy life.