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WEST JORDAN — Even after what he has been through, Willy's tail just keeps wagging.
"That is how we know he is happy," Tiffany Henline said with a smile. "He's a good boy."
Of the hundreds of dogs Henline has fostered in her time working with Community Animal Welfare Society in Vernal, Willy might have been in the worst condition she has ever seen.
He was dehydrated, starving, and when Henline found him in a remote part of Eastern Utah, his eyes were in bad shape.
"When I first met him, I thought, 'oh I hope this dog doesn't die tonight. I don't know if he's going to survive,'" she said. "He had one eye that was very swollen, protruding out the front of his face, and the other was very recessed."
Turns out, Willy had been in a fight with a porcupine.
Quills were taken out of him.
He was then taken to a clinic in West Jordan.
Workers ended up saving his life with medical care and surgery, but both eyes had to be removed.
"There were porcupine quills all the way to the back through both eyes," Henline said.
Thanks to donors who saw Willy's story on the CAWS Facebook page, more than $3,000 was raised for his surgery.
He's now back in Vernal being fostered by Henline.
"It is just miraculous, but really, he's going to be OK," he said.
The hope is to still get him adopted.
"He is an incredible power napper," Henline said with a laugh.
Even though Willy won't be able to see who his new owners will eventually be, his wagging will let them know he loves them.
"His tail is the indicator," said Henline. "It is the indicator that everything is going to be OK."
If you would like to adopt Willy, you can contact CAWS on its website.
Henline also says they have plenty of dogs and cats they rescue from overcrowded shelters you might be interested in if Willy isn't a match.
