Faces of No-Kill: Dog goes from shutdown to smiling

To say Bowie the dog wasn’t comfortable in his own skin when he arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary would be an understatement. His skin was inflamed, and his fur was patchy. He spent most of his time curled up in a ball, too uncomfortable to do much else. He didn’t wag his tail. He didn’t play.

“He just looked miserable,” says Debbi Carman, who welcomed Bowie into her home as a foster pet just a few days after his arrival at the Sanctuary. “He barely moved. He had this dull look in his eyes.” But things were about to turn around.

At first, it looked like a straightforward case of mange (a common skin disease caused by mites). But when the usual treatments didn’t help, Best Friends veterinarians looked deeper. Eventually, they discovered that Bowie has something much rarer: pemphigus — an autoimmune disease that can cause itchy and inflamed skin, crusting around the face and ears, and painful flare-ups if left untreated.

That diagnosis changed everything. With the right combination of medication and lots of care, Bowie began to heal. Debbi made sure he got what he needed — from soothing baths every other day to carefully balanced meals.

“He was so skinny at first,” she says. “Even with a huge appetite, he just couldn’t keep weight on. But once we got the right treatment, he started to feel better. He started gaining weight. And he started to come alive again.”

[More about Bowie and other adoptable pets at Best Friends]

One day, seemingly out of nowhere, Bowie picked up a toy and began to play. “It was like a switch flipped,” says Debbi. “He suddenly had energy. He started following the other dogs around the yard, exploring, playing tug — like he realized, ‘Oh, I can do this now.’”

Bowie still has some skin sensitivity and requires a bit of extra care — regular vet checkups and medication to keep his condition under control — but his fur is growing back, and he’s thriving. He has a new lease on life and is loving every minute of it.

[Wrinkly dog gets comfortable in her own skin]

He cuddles with Debbi’s Chihuahua, Neville, and romps joyfully with her other dogs. “He smiles all the time,” says Debbi. “He’s just the sweetest guy — so friendly and so happy. This is the dog he’s supposed to be.”

It took time, the right veterinary care, and a whole lot of TLC, but today Bowie is healthy, happy, and home in his own skin. He’s living his best dog life — toys, treats, and tail wags included.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. 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.