Just a month ago, a tiny puppy’s life nearly came to an end when she was abandoned on top of an ant hill and left to die. The pup was suffering from severe mange, painful skin infections and open sores, and the ants were eating at her already damaged skin. The vets would later say she was just one day away from dying, but thankfully someone found her just in time to save her life.
Kevin Coble from Clovis, New Mexico found the puppy, now named Peanut, and reached out for help. That call eventually led Peanut to Karl Korff, the 85-year-old founder of Adopt A Pet Society (AAPS). Karl has spent decades helping animals in need. He and his wife first started rescuing dogs in Iowa in 1976, and he later continued that work after moving to Eastern New Mexico
When Karl saw Peanut, he knew she needed immediate medical attention. Peanut was rushed to the vet. She would need medicated baths, antibiotics, shots, deworming, vaccinations and ongoing veterinary care to get healthy again.
But Peanut isn’t giving up and neither is Karl. Karl remembers the moment Peanut looked at him. “She just looked at you like…can’t you help me? That was it,” he told KOB4 News.
Karl did help her. And then he decided to do something even more special. He adopted Peanut. After weeks of treatment, Peanut is healing. Her strength has slowly returned, her fur has begun to grow in and the frightened little puppy who had once been left to die is finally getting a chance at the life she deserves.
Peanut’s story has also inspired Karl to start a Peanut Fund, separate from Adopt A Pet Society’s main fund, to help other sick and vulnerable animals receive the medical care they desperately need.
“You wish you could go ahead and take the whole umbrella of rescue, but it takes finances to do it,” Karl said. But despite the heartbreak that comes from rescue work, Karl sees the positive. “If you take your time to care for something, that elevates you as a person. And I honestly believe that.”
