'Crusty' Puppy at Risk of Euthanasia Due to Severe Mange Recovers and Reveals 'Goofy' Side (Exclusive)

Steven the 5-month-old puppy has almost most a full coat of fur after a month of TLC from a Austin Pets Alive! employee

A puppy who arrived at a shelter hairless, swollen, and "groaning" in pain has transformed into a "playful" and cuddly canine at his foster home.

Steven, the puppy's story starts in a Texas kill shelter, where he arrived with a severe case of Demodex mange, "a skin infection caused by a parasitic mite that lives in hair follicles," Sarah Muirhead, a senior program manager at Austin Pets Alive! (APA), tells PEOPLE.

According to APA — a no-kill shelter in Austin — its kill shelter partner said that Steven showed up "groaning due to pain, with the skin on his face so inflamed that his eyelids were swollen shut."

APA learned about Steven on Aug. 19, when APA representatives, including Muirhead, met the 5-month-old puppy during a visit to the local partner shelter.

"He was the cutest little mange puppy, with almost no hair and lots of pink, swollen skin. He was crusty! He was also very curious about us checking him out in the kennel, and he seemed like a happy puppy, even though he was so uncomfortable," Muirhead says of her first meeting with Steven.

Muirhead knew Steven's severe case of mange was treatable but also understood that the puppy was at risk of being euthanized at the partner shelter.

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"The local partner shelter where Steven was located will regularly euthanize for treatable medical conditions. This is sometimes because of the care required, but it also may be because of the cost of medications or even available kennel space," Muirhead explains.

To ensure Steven had a chance at recovery, Muirhead decided to foster Steven through APA so she could bring the pup home with her from the shelter visit.

"I was originally only planning to keep him overnight and take him to APA the next day to be in a kennel space until a new foster could be found. But he was so easy and sweet, and I really didn't want him to be alone in a kennel," the APA employee shares of what happened next.

Muirhead has been fostering Steven for over three weeks now and has helped him through his mange treatment, which included a topical medication, oral meds, pain medication, an antibiotic, fish oil for the skin, and anti-itch medication.

"Don't forget the TLC of just being in a comfy place with someone who cares," Muirhead adds to Steven's treatment plan.

The puppy has responded well. Muirhead says his hair is growing, and he only "has a few spots of crusty skin left."

"He's still a little itchy occasionally, but overall, medically, he's doing fantastic," she adds.

One of the best parts of caring for Steven through his recovery was watching his "goofy" personality emerge.

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"Steven loves to play with toys and can entertain himself. He gets the zoomies regularly and pounces at things for no reason," Muirhead says, adding, "He makes the cutest little woo-woo sounds when he feels like he isn't getting enough attention."

The pup is also known for his cuddly side. After Steven wears himself out, he loves to curl up in a lap or bed and "calmly sleep."

By working with Steven through his vulnerable times, Muirhead is confident the puppy is fully housebroken, "highly trainable," and the perfect family pet.

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"Steven would be great in almost any kind of home because most puppies are so adaptable. He loves running and playing, so an active home with another dog or kids would be wonderful. I think he needs someone who can take the time to work him on basic training, which all dogs benefit from," Muirhead says of Steven's ideal adopters.

"I hope Steven ends up in a home that loves him for the spunky puppy that he is. He deserves all the love and care that he clearly didn't receive before he ended up in the shelter system," she adds.

Steven is available for adoption now through Austin Pets Alive! To learn more and submit an adoption inquiry, visit Steven's APA profile.

Muirhead hopes those not ready to adopt a pet will consider fostering a shelter animal.

"Fosters save lives. Literally! If I didn't foster Steven — or if we couldn't find a different foster to take him — so we could transfer him to APA, he most likely would have been euthanized. It's still hard for me to understand how so many treatable animals are euthanized due to a lack of resources at shelters," she says.

To learn more about APA and its life-saving works, visit the shelter's website.

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