Tiny pup goes from bald to beautiful in foster home

Nowadays, King Julian loves bouncing around with his best doggy pals, enjoying his puppyhood. But his life wasn’t always fit for a king. He came to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in need of veterinary care and a safe, soft place to land. His tiny, bald body glowed bright pink from a sunburn and was riddled with painful, itchy scabs. He needed help — and fast.

That’s when Kate Litaker volunteered to take this teeny-weeny puppy home to foster him. Best Friends’ goal is for all shelters nationwide to reach no-kill in 2025, and people who step up to foster pets, either with Best Friends or any animal shelter or rescue organization, play a vital part in reaching that goal. 

His condition was somewhat of a mystery. Although it seemed he likely had demodectic mange — an inflammatory condition caused by mites that leads to itchy skin, sores, and hair loss — tests were inconclusive. Best Friends veterinarians prescribed topical treatments and plenty of soothing, medicated baths. And that made all the difference.

“He started feeling better right away after the medicated baths, and he improved dramatically within the first two weeks,” says Kate. “His personality just bounced back, and he started acting like a typical, adorable, little baby.”

In no time at all, his creamy-white fur grew in, and those painful, itchy scabs cleared up. He’s doubled in size and now romps happily with Kate’s four other dogs. “He's very bouncy and wants to play with everyone and everything,” she says.

The best part? Kate couldn’t resist his king-sized smile and knew she had to adopt him. “I fell in love the day I took this one photo,” explains Kate. “He was running around outside with two of my dogs, and he just had this huge smile on his face. I looked at the picture afterwards and knew he was home.”

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill in 2025. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.