Written by
The Sports Network
By Jeff Small
Wildwood, MO (KSDK) - He was labeled as a bad dog and was scheduled to be put down any day now.
Instead, a local woman saved the Labrador retriever's life and spent two months turning him into a dog that could soon win hearts and a big prize.
The Wildwood woman is the co-owner of the Frolic Inn, a dog boarding facility and rescue.
Until recently, Mangus who used to go by Titan, was hyper, homeless, and about to be put down.
"He was very crazy to say the least, and he was in the shelter I believe 100 days and there he was in a cage just jumping up over and over again and no one would look at him," said trainer Kristen Madlinger.
Kristen Madlinger drove 13 hours to Texas where she met Mangus. It was the beginning of the competition, Extreme Mutt Makeover where 14 trainers from Texas and Missouri get paired with a troubled dog. Makeover participants have eight weeks to turn a mutt into a well behaved miracle. The top 3 trainers will appear in a televised event and win cash and prizes.
"The whole goal of this fantastic organization is not how fantastic the dogs are, but every life can be saved and can be worth something just if we put in a little effort, "said Madlinger.
The challenge to help Mangus means the world to his devoted trainer who hopes to make him a special friend for a child with autism.
"If this dog can change the life of a child's, that's really what I want to do and I can go on and train another dog.
The training for Mangus goes on the next few weeks leading up to the September 16th and 17th competition in Fort Worth, Texas.
You can find out more about the competition and the dogs by going to Facebook and searching "Extreme Mutt Makeover". You can find Mangus and his page under the nameTitan, the name he went by prior to the competition.
The dog who gets the most friends prior to the makeover event will win $500 for the shelter where they were being housed.
A St. Louis area donor is willing to match the $500 donation if Mangus wins, and all proceeds will go to Stray Rescue.
KSDK