Shelter Dog Pictured on Her Last Day-A Year Later, People Do a Double Take

A volunteer trip to Africa turned into a months-long international rescue mission after one woman bonded with a gravely ill puppy found in a roadside gutter, whose transformation a year later has left viewers stunned.

The dog, now named Apricot, looks almost unrecognizable in a March 15 TikTok video posted to the account @apricottheghanadog. Once emaciated, wounded and fighting to survive, she has since grown into a healthy dog with unique spotted markings, earning comparisons to Bambi from viewers online.

But her journey to this point was anything but simple.

Apricot was found in June 2024 during a volunteer trip to Ghana, when a young boy brought the critically ill puppy into a compound where international volunteers were staying, Julia told Newsweek. Julia, who was working with International Volunteer HQ, was days into her two-week trip assisting at schools in a rural community about two and a half hours outside Accra.

The area was home to several stray dogs that relied on scraps from volunteers, but Apricot’s condition stood out immediately. Julia said the two bonded from the moment they were together, with Apricot constantly jumping into her lap.

“She was very, very sick,” Julia said. “She had worms, cuts everywhere. This dog probably had three or four days left to live, and she was starting to breathe weird, and everything was just wrong.”

Despite limited resources, Julia decided to try to save her. She made a 2.5-hour journey to a veterinary clinic, where Apricot was treated for a severe worm infestation and given emergency medication. But getting her healthy was only the first challenge.

Because Ghana is classified as a high-risk rabies country, strict import regulations meant the puppy-then just weeks old-would need to remain in quarantine until she was at least six months old and fully vaccinated.

With few options, Julia arranged for her to stay at the veterinary clinic's shelter for months before she could begin the journey home.

When Julia returned to Ghana six months later, she found Apricot had no hair on the top of her head. The stress of confinement had taken a toll on her. She remained fragile.

Then began the whirlwind trip to bring her home.

The journey back involved multiple flights, including a stop in Togo before landing in Washington, D.C., with Apricot traveling in cargo due to her size. Julia said she was anxious about the transfer, unsure whether the puppy would make it on the same flight, but the two arrived together in the United States.

After landing, Apricot underwent additional health checks and treatment for a tick-borne illness, requiring a further three-day quarantine before she was cleared to travel home to New Jersey. From there, her recovery accelerated.

As Apricot regained her strength, she developed distinctive spotted markings across her coat-something Julia says her family never expected. The origin of the markings remains unclear, as Apricot was a solid brown dog when rescued. Her DNA testing identified her as a West African village dog, Julia said.

Today, more than a year later, Apricot is thriving.

She has undergone multiple surgeries to correct luxating patellas, where the kneecap slips out of place, Julia said. After months of recovery, Apricot has finally settled into a healthy, happy life, living comfortably with Julia, her family and another recently adopted dog.

Looking back, Julia hopes Apricot's story sheds light on the realities faced by stray animals around the world.

TikTok users quickly fell in love with Apricot, calling her Bambi and a “magical Disney dog.” Her shocking transformation has racked up more than 156,700 views, 40,000 likes and nearly 100 comments.

“That is a fawn!” wrote one viewer, while another said: “Wow, your pet deer is so cute!”

A third person said: “You brought that sweetie back to life.”

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend, and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.

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This story was originally published April 20, 2026 at 12:16 AM.