The Story of Lil’ Trooper

meet lil’ trooper.
Dumped in a grocery store parking lot, all alone.
This is how Lil’ Trooper’s rescue story began. This 8-week-old puppy was found by a community member on the Pine Ridge Reservation and taken into rescue by our partner, LightShine Canine: A Rez Dog Rescue. He was found with severe puncture wounds on the top of his head that also pierced his eye, most likely caused by the bite of a much larger dog.
Lil’ Trooper arrived in Minnesota and safely found his way to his foster home. He’s on medications for his pain and infection, with an eye enucleation scheduled for this week.
Once the eye is removed, he’ll be monitored for 3-7 days to ensure the eye area and the wound on his head heal properly. He should make a fairly quick recovery and will then be available for adoption, as long as no issues are detected.

Despite his obvious pain, Lil’ Trooper is fulfilling his namesake. He is feisty, independent, and quite a little fighter. He enjoys playing with the big dogs in his foster home, laying in the grass, eating, and running. He is full of personality and gives his foster mom a run for her money when it’s time to take meds or have a warm compress on his eye. He’s going to be a wonderful addition to his new home.

If it is within your means, please consider donating to our Animal Care Fund to help Lil’ Trooper and others like him. Adoption fees typically cover basic veterinary expenses for animals in our care, but we rely on donors like you to help with anything above standard routine veterinary care.
Help us help Lil’ Trooper so he can become the happy, healthy pup he deserves to be.
Do you want to help animals in need? Sign up to foster for Ruff Start today! https://ruffstartrescue.org/get-involved/foster/
Or, you can donate to our Animal Care Fund. Our Animal Care Fund supports the medical and veterinary needs of all Ruff Start Rescue animals.