A rescued puppy named Christmas gets a new lease on life

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) recently revealed a video about a puppy named Christmas.

During a horse health clinic that the organization conducted at the Taal Volcano island in October, PETA found a sick and nearly dying 8-weeks-old puppy (in dog weeks, mind) being taken care of by an underprivileged family.

He was malnourished, had lice in his thin fur, and worst: had open sores that had maggots coming out of them. He was nearly dying, PETA said.

“His former family knew he didn’t have a chance of surviving if he stayed on the island and were happy to surrender him to PETA to give him a better chance,” PETA’s Ashley Fruno tells GMA News Online in an email interview.

Christmas actually didn’t have a name then. “We gave him the name Christmas because finding him was such a stroke of luck – it was like Christmas in October!” Fruno continues.

The organization took care of Christmas and in November, was adopted by one of PETA’s veterinarians through its adoption program.

“We have a standard adoption process – we ask the applicant a series of questions. If they pass the questions, we have a meet-and-greet with the family and the animal. Our final step is the home check,” says Fruno.

According to Fruno, PETA Asia actually always has animals for adoption. “In fact we have a dog in our office waiting for a new home right now,” she adds. The organization advertises the animals up for adoption through social media and a few classified sites. “Some are adopted quickly, and others, we have for a while.”

Christmas at present

In Christmas’ case, PETA’s vet almost wasn’t able to take him home because “her family wasn’t initially open to having another dog.” Christmas would have been their fourth dog.

But things turned out in Christmas’ favor. The now-healthy rescued pup now lives in Alabang, has three other playmates with him at all times, and with more toys than he could manage.

As for his former family, PETA returned to the Taal island for another horse health clinic recently and showed them pictures of Christmas in his new home. “They were so happy to see him thriving.”

This is Christmas' first Christmas and from the looks of it, it couldn't be any merrier than it already is. Merry Christmas, Christmas! — LA, GMA News