A Blast From The Past - Vinnie Van Gogh

LACEY TOWNSHIP, NJ - It's hard to believe it's been four years since Vinnie Van Gogh was brought to Popcorn Park Zoo to recover from terrible injuries he suffered when he was used as a bait dog on the streets of Newark.

Shelter employees weren't even sure the four-month old pup would make it through the night when they saw the extent of his life-threatening wounds. They named him Vinnie Van Gogh, because one of his ears had been torn off. Chunks of flesh had been ripped from his little body, both hips were broken. He had pneumonia and was in septic shock from infections. It hurt to look at him.

They set him up in a special "Vinnie" suite, with fluffy blankets and chew toys. They fed him cheeseburgers at first. He was so weak all he could do was lift his head up and slowly chew the food. Slowly, very slowly over the months, he began to heal.

There a lots of Vinnie videos. This one was taken just a few weeks his arrival, when he was still in a fragile state, but had just discovered his bark.

Vinnie developed quite a following over the years and still has many fans. He lives a happy life with one of his "moms" who took care of him at the zoo for months, and brought him home for good.

"If you saw Vinnie now, it's quite obvious that he never let that dreadful experience define him, as he is just the nicest and happiest guy, with lots of human and canine friends," according to post on the zoo's Facebook page. "We can't thank all of you enough for helping us to provide Vinnie all of the care that he needed to get through that tough time, and become the healthy and happy dog that he is today."

Donations to the shelter's Res-Q Fund helped Vinnie survive. If you would like to donate to help other animals in our care that suffer abuse and neglect, like Vinnie, please text ResQ to 501501 to make a $10.00 donation or click here: https://www.ahscares.org/shop/item.asp?itemid=28&catid=5

To see what Vinnie first looked like when he arrived at the shelter, click here https://youtu.be/vwh44hxhIy8

Photo and video: Courtesy of Associated Humane Popcorn Park