SEWELL, New Jersey — A dog rescued from the dinner table but left with half a face in Thailand has found a new home in New Jersey and is thriving.
Karen Quigley and Michelle Weirich raised more than USD $11,000 through a fundraising website to adopt and care for the 2-year-old mixed breed dog, named Teresa. A man unsuccessfully tried to butcher the animal for food.
“Unfortunately in Thailand people do eat dog meat, and a person had a machete and he was trying to cut her head off,” Quigley said.
Update: No ‘Thai Butcher’ Was Trying to Eat Faceless Dog, Rescuer Says
In Thailand, catching, selling and killing dogs for meat is not illegal, but exporting them without an official certificate is. Dog meat is not popular in Thailand but is considered a delicacy in Vietnam.
Teresa was left without a nose and parts of her top jaw. The money paid for her travel and surgery to remove teeth and mend her tongue.
Teresa is doing well at Quigley’s home in Sewell. She does everything a normal dog would do, Quigley told WPVI-TV in Philadelphia.
“She can do everything and that’s what’s so remarkable about Teresa,” Quigley said. “She’s so amazing because she’s really so happy. She wakes up happy. She loves to run in the yard.”
The animal’s Robbinsville surgeon, Dr. John Lewis, said the animal is doing well besides some cosmetic issues.
“She can always breathe through her mouth, but the fact she can breathe through her nose just increases her quality of life. She’s able to eat and drink, can play with toys, so that’s the important thing,” he said.
Quigley eventually wants to get Teresa certified as a therapy animal so she can comfort disfigured patients at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
