Ellen Ballon Dante thought she’d seen everything, but then she met Benny: a small dog with short legs, floppy ears and bright purple fur. Someone had dyed the tiny pup with paint.
Dante, cofounder and CEO of Deity Animal Rescue in Los Angeles, held Benny close when he arrived at her shelter in early January after a family discovered him in his vulnerable condition. He melted into her, nuzzling her cheek with his face.
Deity Animal Rescue
“He was a little scared,” Dante told The Dodo. “He was pretty subdued. But that is basically who he is. Like, the sweetest, most cuddliest, kindest [puppy].”
She noticed that the tips of his ears were scabbing over, having been burned by the paint, and one eye had a few ulcers in it.
“Perhaps the dye got in his eye and he was scratching his eye,” Dante said. “But, you know, aside from those things, luckily he’s a pretty healthy guy.”
Benny received some eye drops and a good bath, but the purple hue went nowhere. A light tan coat seems to be hiding underneath.
It’s unclear exactly how Benny ended up an electric shade of lavender. Dante’s best guess is that someone “just decided to dye a puppy purple.”
Dante is grateful that Benny’s previous owner agreed to relinquish him to a dog-loving family, who recognized a pup in need when they saw him.
“They actually took the dog to the vet,” Dante said, “and had the dog examined and vaccinated.”
But the purple dye would not wash off, and the family couldn’t keep another dog. A vet tech who had inspected Benny thought Dante might be able to help, so she reached out to Deity Animal Rescue.
Of course, Dante couldn’t say no.
Benny is around 6 months old and could be a dachshund or Chihuahua mix, though Dante isn’t sure. What she does know is that he’s found the perfect home with his new forever family.
Not only does Benny’s new mom have experience with shelter dogs who’ve been through some trauma (she’s already adopted twice from Deity Animal Rescue), but when she first started fostering for Dante’s organization, her hair was bright purple.
Deity Animal Rescue
These days, Benny lives in a loving home as his lilac coat grows out. Dante is still shocked by how lively and happy he is, even after such a painful experience.
“He was … just so trusting,” she said. “Coming from the beginnings that he came from, to just be still so open to receive love … He’s an amazing puppy.”