We all know by now that dogs are the creatures we don't deserve. They're loyal, cute, entertaining and they just love a party.
Another thing they're good at is making friends. And while it's great that they don't discriminate when it comes to what species they like to buddy up with, sometimes their affection doesn't work in their favour.
Case in point: a St. Bernard named Ruckus got himself into a little ruckus of his own when he tried to make friends with a porcupine. Can you see where this is going?
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After crossing the spiked creature, the poor pup was left with a mouth full of quills and had to be rushed to an animal shelter in New York by his owners.
The veterinary team at Lollypop Farm were then tasked with painstakingly removing each fish-hook shaped quill from his face. Yeowch.
A spokesperson at Lollypop Farm said: "Ruckus arrived at Lollypop Farm with a face full of porcupine quills - and it wasn't his first time.
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"He was surrendered to Lollypop Farm so that he could receive treatment for the quills that were stuck into his jowls, face, and inside of his mouth."
Apparently Ruckus has a history of going after porcupines, but judging by his recent mishap, he hasn't learned from his mistakes.
"Our veterinary team worked quickly and carefully to remove the quills from Ruckus' face and mouth," added the spokesperson.
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"Porcupines can have upwards of 30,000 quills at their disposal, and will release them into the face of what they perceive as a potential attacker, even if a dog is just curious and not acting aggressive.
"The quills are easily detached from the porcupine, but are quite difficult to remove once they've been embedded in another animal like a dog.
"Contrary to popular belief, porcupines can't actually 'shoot' their quills, but a simple swipe of their tail at a dog that's gotten too close is enough to release them.
"The tips of porcupine quills that puncture the skin are actually shaped like a tiny fish hook, and can be very difficult to remove.
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"Luckily for Ruckus, our team was able to safety remove all of the quills, and this big pup was feeling better in no time at all."
Thank heavens Ruckus is okay - hopefully next time he's faced with a porcupine he'll think back to this incident and give the spiked creature a swerve. Although we dread to think who'll be his next target... here's hoping he never meets any skunks.
Featured Image Credit: Caters