Trooper had to live up to his name when he was left with a face full of thorny quills (Picture: Instagram/brady.oliveira/whsanimals)
An abandoned dog was rescued from a thorny situation by an animal loving football player after the pooch had a painful encounter with a porcupine.
Dog rescuer Brady Oliveira, 26, from Winnipeg, Canada, jumped to action after hearing about Trooper the Labrador.
After having a tussle with a porcupine, the poor pooch had been abandoned with dozens of quills all over his face, including his snout and around his mouth and eyes.
After receiving a call about the dog, Oliveira – who is also a professional football player for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – decided to get Trooper out of his sticky state.
Oliveira regularly rescues animals like him and shares their journeys on his social media, MailOnline reported.
The devout animal lover said: ‘The dog had a face full of quills and was in a ton of pain.
‘I drove out to the community and when I saw him, I was in total heartbreak!
‘He was quite scared and timid but I let him take all the time he needed until he started to trust me. His sad eyes were telling me that he was in a ton of pain and discomfort.’
Trooper’s rescuer said he had ‘sad eyes’ when he was found (Picture: Instagram/brady.oliveira/whsanimals)
Trooper the Labrador, thought to be around two or three years old, taken to safety (Credits: Instagram/brady.oliveira/whsanimals)
It remains a mystery when Trooper got the spines on his face but he urgently needed them taken out by a professional as the spines can migrate.
Oliveira, who owns three dogs himself, added: ‘I needed to sit with him for a bit until he could trust me and then could slip a leash on him and load up in my truck’.
He and his friend whisked Trooper to the emergency vet where the spines were surgically removed.
Although the pooch was a bit swollen and scared, he made a swift recovery.
Trooper was then put up for adoption through the Winnipeg Humane Society, who described him as an ‘absolute joy’.
Trooper cuddling his rescuer after the sticky situation (Credits: Instagram/brady.oliveira/whsanimals)
Trooper was left with scars after the nasty quills were removed (Credits: Instagram/brady.oliveira/whsanimals)
It was Oliveira who took his new furry friend Trooper to his first adoption event, and just a couple of weeks later the dog found a new home.
Oliveira’s Instagram followers were taken with the adorable pup.
One wrote: ‘What a sweet boy! Thank you for all you guys do!!’
Another said: ‘I’m so in love with Trooper and would adopt him in a heartbeat if I didn’t already have 3…ugh.’
Porcupines’ protective quills can come off on contact or fall off when the rodent shakes its body.
The quills should always be removed at the vet who can give the unlucky victim some pain relief.
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