'I love seeing him happy': N.B. woman wants to bring Vietnam rescue dog home to Moncton

It's hard to imagine going through the hardships Captain has but one woman from New Brunswick wants to make sure his story has a happy ending.

The mixed-breed pooch was badly injured after being struck by a vehicle in Vietnam five years ago. He was then abandoned by his owner.

His back limbs were paralyzed and he was dragging his body around the streets with a bad eye infection when he was discovered by a veterinarian.

For two years, he spent his life in a cage before being rescued by an animal shelter in Da Nang.

Since then, he's had his eye removed, one of his back legs amputated and most of his teeth have been pulled. 

Source: Instagram/ captain.danang

Sarah MacLeod of Riverview, N.B., met Captain last fall when she decided to volunteer at the Paws for Compassion shelter on the coast city in central Vietnam.

The 23-year-old had spent time in southeast Asia before and decided to return for the beauty, an adventure and to help stray dogs.

She decided to foster Captain in her apartment after he recovered from the amputation. 

"That's when I saw how happy of a dog that he actually was," said MacLeod. "What a difference it was from him being in a shelter to him being in a home. I saw quite a difference in him."

After he recovered, Captain was fitted with a wheelchair and MacLeod decided to continue fostering him.

Source: Instagram/ captain.danang

She saw him transform from a sad shelter pooch to a beach loving doggie who is once again comfortable around strangers.

"I love seeing him happy," she said.

She loves the beauty of Vietnam, but MacLeod wants to return home to New Brunswick with Captain in the spring.

"He is just loving life outside of the shelter. I want to give him a home. I think he deserves a home," said MacLeod.

But it isn't as easy as it sounds.

Source: Instagram/ captain.danang

She's working with the veterinarian in Da Nang on the extensive amount of paperwork that needs to be done.

She also isn't sure what airline to use.

A lot of airlines won't transport a dog because the path is too long. The airlines that do transport dogs are five-star carriers and are quite expensive.

"It's an extra $400 per flight to transport a dog with you so going from Vietnam to New Brunswick, that's three flights," said MacLeod. "We'll come across some barriers but we're working through it."

Her flight will be around $1,500 and another $1,200 for Captain. Money she just doesn't have.

"He is very special to me. He is a very brave dog for everything that he's been through. For him to give life another chance I think is wonderful to see in him," she said.

Source: Instagram/ captain.danang

Her work visa situation calls for her to come and go from Vietnam every month, so she's currently in the Philippines.

She won't see Captain again until March.

"It's easier to know that I'm coming back for him. If only there was a way to tell him that," she said.

The plan is to return to Canada in April or May when the temperature warms up.

Captain is used to playing in the sand of Da Nang's beaches, not the snow of New Brunswick's winters.

"I'm trying to get him to Canada after the snow because I know it'll be a big change from how warm Vietnam is to seeing snow for the first time," said MacLeod.

Source: Instagram/ captain.danang

But Captain is a trooper and she thinks Captain will love the cold Canadian winters.

"He does have a bit of Husky in him I think. His fur is very thick," she said. "I think he will adapt pretty well to the snow."

Like her granddaughter, Carol Ritchie is an animal lover who recently rescued a dog from Texas.

She said Captain was very withdrawn when MacLeod first met him.

“And then after she fostered him, he just built so much trust in her,” said Ritchie from her home in Riverview. “It’s just amazing. We were over [in Vietnam] in December and he just absolutely adores her. He really does. He’s come out of his shell. She lives upstairs, five flights, and she carries him up and down three times a day.”

Ritchie says she's very proud of her granddaughter.

“She’s a dedicated young woman and she has to jump through a lot of hoops to bring him back,” she said. “She’s got a lot of paperwork to fill out. She’s got expenses to bring him back.”

Captain's adventures can be found on Instagram at captain.danang and there is a fundraiser to help bring him to Canada.