South Carolina Woman Shocked To Discover Why This Struggling Pup Can’t Open His Mouth
It all began in Travelers Rest, South Carolina, as Liz Heatherly drove with her mom and sister. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted something unusual along the roadside.
At first, it seemed like just a shadow or a bit of debris, but when she slowed down to look closer, her chest tightened.
Lying there was a tiny black puppy, no older than 10 weeks, struggling to move. His body was thin and weak, crawling with ticks and fleas.
But what broke Liz’s heart most was the sight of a plastic zip tie cinched tightly around his mouth.
Without hesitation, Liz pulled into the nearest driveway, jumped out of the car, and told her mom and sister to come with her.
The frightened pup panicked at the sight of strangers and bolted, scrambling down into a deep drainage ditch about six feet below.
The three of them didn’t think twice. They slid down after him, muddying up their clothes just to get close.
When Liz finally reached him, she carefully freed his mouth from that cruel tie that had been digging into his skin for days.
The little one was safe, but he desperately needed more help. They rushed him to Cleveland Park Animal Hospital, where veterinarian Dr. Bryant Phillips examined him.
The poor pup was in bad shape. He was malnourished, dehydrated, and crawling with parasites.
The vet explained that the zip tie had probably been on for two or three days. The skin on his muzzle was raw, with open sores, and Dr. Phillips warned that the fur around his mouth might never grow back properly.
But for now, he was alive, and that was what mattered most.
Liz wasn’t about to let him go through another hardship. She took him home and named him Norman.
The only thing that worried her was how her rescue dog, Jackson, would react. Jackson had a rough past with other dogs, and Liz wasn’t sure he’d be open to sharing his space.
To her surprise, the opposite happened. From the very first moment, Jackson seemed to understand that Norman needed comfort.
The two became fast friends. Liz shared in an interview:
“I’ll never forget this, but when I walked in the backyard and Norman whined in my arms, Jackson jumped up to lick him and let him know it was going to be OK. Jackson loves Norman and it makes my heart so full looking at them playing together.”
Under Liz’s care, Norman began to heal quickly. His wounds closed, his fur slowly grew back, and his spirit returned.
Liz admitted she worried he might have lasting fears, especially about people touching near his mouth, but Norman surprised her. She shared:
“I honestly thought Norman would have trust issues or be afraid to let people touch around his mouth, but he has none of those issues. He is a leaping bundle of black fur that I wouldn’t trade for anything!”
Now, just a couple of weeks later, Norman is thriving. He’s playful, curious, and endlessly energetic. Liz laughed when describing his silly personality:
“Norman is extremely friendly and full of energy. He should have been named ‘Firecracker,’ because that is how he acts. His legs are so long and he trips over them all the time. He’s goofy and loves to play 24/7.”
Liz says she can’t imagine her life without him now. What started as a heartbreaking moment on the side of a country road turned into one of the sweetest blessings she could’ve asked for.
