Once Covered In Cactus Spines, ‘Cholla Charlie’ Is Now Happy, Healthy, and Adopted
How’s that for a glow-up? 
By Allaire Nuss August 20, 2021 Advertisement Pin FB More Tweet Email Send Text Message Print
An Arizona dog found himself in quite the prickly situation last month when he had a run-in with a cholla cactus. The Arizona Humane Society (AHS) received the 5-pound pup with spines embedded all over his little body. But today, "Cholla Charlie" is living prickle-free in his new forever home.
On July 22, a good Samaritan in Surprise, Ariz., discovered the 5-month-old Chihuahua puppy covered in cactus spines and brought him to Surprise Animal Control. Charlie was then placed into the Arizona Humane Society's New Hope program, which helps transfer shelter animals in need of medical care into its Second Chance Animal Hospital.
puppy who fell into cactus without his needles, full recovery Credit: Courtesy of Arizona Humane Society
Once he was in their care, Charlie was immediately sedated for a procedure to remove all the spines. Kelsey Dickerson, media relations specialist for AHS, tells Daily Paws the operation was "quite intensive, as the spines were everywhere: in his mouth, by his eyes, in his paws, just absolutely everywhere all over his tiny little body."
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puppy who fell into cactus with needles Credit: Courtesy of Arizona Humane Society
After the procedure, Charlie was kept at the animal hospital for a few days of observation to make sure there were no lingering ailments, such as an illness or spines that had been missed in the extraction and could cause infection.
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Once AHS staff were certain he was in the clear, Charlie spent another few weeks in a foster home through AHS for continued care. Dickerson says today "he is absolutely the wiggly, happy, and adorable 5-month-old that you would expect of a puppy."
Medically clear and happy as can be, little Charlie was put up for adoption Wednesday at PetSmart Charities' Everyday Adoption Center in Scottsdale. Within just a few hours, he had found his new forever family. Charlie is now living his best puppy life in Scottsdale.
"He's a perfect example of just one of 15,000 pets that the Arizona Humane Society rescues and adopts out each year," Dickerson says. "He's definitely a very lucky pup."
