How jawless dog Guynplen lives and aided a hospital

Guynplen«s appearance leaves an indelible impression. If he had an upper jaw, he would be the most ordinary dog, of which there are hundreds of thousands on the streets of Russian cities. His life would have passed completely ordinarily and, perhaps, ended early, as often happens with strays. But a terrible injury sustained in 2013 radically changed his fate and the fates of tens of thousands of other homeless animals. Gunya lost a significant part of his muzzle but survived, waited for help, became a world celebrity, and helped develop the Animal Rehabilitation Base in Novosibirsk. NGS correspondents visited the legendary dog, who has lived to a venerable age, to remind of his story.

Unusual Patient

Gunya (full name Guynplen — after the hero of Victor Hugo«s novel »The Man Who Laughs«) has been living at the Animal Rehabilitation Base near Novosibirsk for 11 years now. His story is a remarkable example of love for life and resilience.

The mutilated dog was noticed near the Instrumentalnaya railway station in February 2014 by a Novosibirsk resident named Alena.

«We met eyes. It became scary. Tears froze in my eyes, and in my soul — incomprehension. We looked at each other for a long time,» she described her emotions from the meeting over 10 years ago.

Soon the dog ended up with volunteers, although catching him was not easy: he was very timid and did not trust people. He was brought to the Animal Rehabilitation Base in Koltsovo — it was just emerging at that time.

«He came to us in –30°F (–34°C) frost. At that moment, it was necessary to perform plastic surgery on him to allow him to breathe without problems, because his airways were collapsing,» said Anastasia Batueva, head of the NROO «Animal Rehabilitation Base».

How he received his injury, whether people or animals are to blame — is unknown. An accident cannot be ruled out either: perhaps he got stuck in a railroad switch, or maybe he was caught in a trap.

Gunya is not the only one of his kind. For example, in the Philippine town of Zamboanga in 2011, a dog named Kabang lost her upper jaw after rushing under a motorcycle to save children. She survived and even gave birth to puppies, and later was moved to the U.S. And in Novokuznetsk, there lived a dog without an upper jaw named Freddy — it is known that he was injured by another dog as a puppy.

At the same time, Gunya«s case is unique, and his popularity brought enormous benefit to other homeless animals.

«He went so viral that people called from New York, from Rome, from elsewhere. With him, we raised such an amount that we were able to pay off the loan for the land and buy out two more plots,» Anastasia said.

The amount raised exceeded a million rubles (approximately $16,700 USD at 2014 exchange rates) — in 2014, this was very good money. This gave a start to a large project: a hospital for homeless animals. However, in 2025, at the request of the Koltsovo administration, the project was forced to move to a new location. The dogs currently live at the old site but will soon have to move as well.

Guynplen has fully adapted over these 11 years of life at the base. Volunteers say that «here he grew wings»: he became everyone«s favorite, moves freely around the territory, eats a lot — he has one tooth left on top, so he even likes to crunch dry food. And he helps push meat into his mouth with his paws.

«He has girlfriends, wives here, he contests leadership with other male dogs. He likes living in this format: in the forest, in freedom — no chain, no apartment. Unfortunately, no one has been found to provide him with a home, so we continue to care for him,» explained the base«s head.

Guynplen has already outlived one of his faithful companions, but, after grieving, he found a new «love». Despite his injury, other dogs fear and respect Gunya.

«He barks, pretends he will bite. They use body language, and he shows all his intentions with movements. And that he has no teeth is discovered later. He»s so desperate,« smiled Anastasia Batueva.

«Old age is not curable, we fight for everything else»

When the hospital for homeless animals was operating here, the number of temporary residents could reach 70. Today, 16 dogs remain on the former territory of the Rehabilitation Base. All of them have endured injuries, illnesses, some have been left disabled. Many do not trust people, except for the base workers who look after them, feed them, and treat them.

«There are dogs on diets, dogs on special food, each needs special sensitive attention and care. They are not abandoned, they are examined by our doctors, taken for necessary procedures, without this it»s impossible. Only old age is not curable — we fight for everything else,« emphasized Anastasia Batueva.

But there are also sociable dogs living here. For example, three-legged Bella and an old-timer named Seliger: they circle around legs and are not at all opposed to petting.

«Selya has cerebrovascular pathology (impaired blood circulation in the brain vessels. — Ed.), so his head is tilted. But it was worse. Someone dumped him on the territory of an abandoned military unit in 2016. Even then the doctor said he had two Mondays left to rattle. He»s still rattling,« Anastasia said with a laugh.

The three-legged white dog Bella was abandoned by her caretakers.

«Bella came to us as a puppy with a fracture, we tried to save her leg. Although it healed, it did so incorrectly, functioning pathologically. In the end, it still led to amputation, so she hops on three legs,» Anastasia said.

Purebred animals also end up with the volunteers. For example, the dog Kuchum. He is kept on a chain because he has leadership qualities and can injure other dogs.

«He is a purebred West Siberian Laika. In Barnaul, there was a man who had many Laikas, he kept them on his territory, and then, when he needed to go hunting, he would release them. He kept Kuchum in about one square meter, then made him chase after a car,» Anastasia told Kuchum«s story.

Making this dog chase was absolutely forbidden — it led to a decline in health. The dog has a genetic pathology common in Laikas, Huskies, and Spitz: patella alta. The kneecap in such dogs is positioned too high above the thigh, which significantly increases the risk of dislocation, often causing lameness and a bouncing gait.

All these dogs, of course, are looking for a home, but most likely will live out their days with the volunteers. There are no plans to take in new charges. Anastasia Batueva emphasizes that they do not want to become another shelter. There are many shelters, but a hospital for homeless animals that is not afraid to take on complex cases and does it for free for strays, there is only one in Novosibirsk.

On December 16, NGS reported that in Novosibirsk, a home is being sought for an Alabai. The dog«s owners abandoned it after it was hit by a car.