Reportedly, Duke was suffering from a highly contagious illness and people were warned to stay away from him. The pup was tied to an old, rundown trailer in a Bulgarian town, left alone for several days without any care. Day by day, Duke’s hope dwindled as he hid beneath the trailer, feeling abandoned and forgotten. But fortunately, a concerned resident noticed the poor pup’s dire condition and reached out to Rudozem Street Dog Rescue – a registered animal welfare organization in Bulgaria that supports distressed animals.

Upon arriving at the scene, Tony Rowles, one of the founders of the organization, was greeted by a sight of a dog covered in flies and surrounded by its own feces.

Tony confessed that he was truly scared due to the presence of a strong ammonia smell that rendered him motionless.

Tony and his family housed Duque and some other dogs and cats since the shelter was already crowded. Despite being incredibly sweet, Duque only had one infectious quality. He remained cautious around male individuals during his initial weeks of stay.

Tony recalls his first encounter with the person in question and noted that he seemed okay at the time. However, as the weeks went by, Tony noticed a palpable sense of unease in the individual’s gait and behavior around him.