For some time now, there have been many stories pointing to the problems of abandoned dogs as well as overcrowding in shelters.

These problems keep piling up, and we hear many sad stories about dogs and puppies that are cruelly dumped on the road and left to fend for themselves.

That’s why it’s always nice to hear a story of abandoned dogs that are rescued and find their happy home.

Just such a story is the one you are going to read.

Bald And Very Sick, But Full Of Life

It was a beautiful, sunny day when a resident of Vineland, New Jersey, was driving along, suddenly spotting the saddest sight – five bald, very sick-looking puppies all huddled up together on the side of the road.

This Good Samaritan didn’t have the heart to just “walk” past these poor dogs, but stopped to help them.

He immediately contacted South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter, in Vineland, which sent an animal control officer to pick the puppies up.

When the officer saw how bad of shape they were in, he brought them straight to the vet instead of taking them to the shelter.

After getting medical attention, the vet determined that they were suffering from mange, eye infections, swollen feet, and open sores all over their bodies.

Aside from that, they were extremely emaciated, which indicated that they had previously been neglected and just dumped on the street.

After that, they were taken to the shelter where, considering their health condition, there was a big job before the employees and volunteers of the shelter.

Regardless of their condition, these puppies did not take the “smile” off their faces, and gave their rescuers many kisses as a sign of gratitude for taking such care of them.

“They were all very sweet on intake, even with the condition that they were in,” Kathleen Leary, director of operations for the South Jersey Regional Animal Shelter, told The Dodo. “They were wagging their tails and licking our faces.”

All the people who took care of them were simply delighted by this behavior, and they saw that they had a really strong spirit that would help them on their way to their new lives.

Getting Better Day By Day

They determined that these 5 puppies were around 5 and a half months old. They were not sure of the breed because of their bad shape, but they assumed that the puppies were some sort of Mastiff-Cane Corso mix.

Regardless of everything, the good people of this shelter made sure that they lacked absolutely nothing and received continuous treatment.

“They are on antibiotics, eye meds and medicated baths and will be rechecked weekly by our veterinarian,” Leary said.

When this awesome dog family recovered and when their hair grew to finally look like real dogs, they decided to give them names. They were named after Super Mario characters: Mario, Luigi, Bowser, and Princess Peach.

Finally, these little heroes were both medically and emotionally ready, and the shelter soon announced on its official Facebook page that they had found their foster home and they were doing well.

“Their little personalities are [slowly] coming out, they all seem to be good with other dogs and love people,” Leary said.

On To Their New, Great Lives

After everything they’ve been through, it really would be the ultimate injustice if this lovable canine Super Mario crew didn’t make it to the end.

After the shelter’s employees announced on their official Facebook page that all the dogs were ready for adoption, it seemed like that would be the case.

It took some time for potential adopters to decide to adopt these brave dogs. However, those who wait are those who receive, so after a somewhat longer wait, they all got their new homes.

The only one who had problems was Luigi, who didn’t get along with the other dogs in his new family. Because of this, he unfortunately had to be returned to the shelter.

However, they didn’t have to wait long for another woman to tell them that her son fell in love with this dog at first sight.

The picture of the two is one that will melt your heart because Luigi finally got the home and family he deserves.

This entire dog family has gone through a thorny path from baldness and disease to health and happiness.

From this moment on, we deeply believe that only the sky is their limit.