At the clinic, Benito and Lynch experienced kindness for the first time. They were given nourishing meals, treated for their numerous ailments, and bathed to remove the fleas and ticks that had tormented them. For the first time in what felt like forever, they could rest without fear of harm.

Benito's scars spoke of years of neglect, but his heart remained full of hope. Lynch, the younger of the two, began to recover quickly, his body responding to the care and attention he received. Over the next few days, their transformations began. Their raw, painful skin started to heal, bleeding stopped, and new patches of fur grew where bare skin once showed.