On Easter morning, a Good Samaritan discovered a severely malnourished dog who was tied to a tree in Southwest Philadelphia, and in need of immediate medical attention.
They contacted the Humane Law Enforcement team at the Pennsylvania SPCA for help. An officer quickly responded to the scene and transported the dog to their SPCA headquarters.
The dog, whom they named Hallelujah (Hal for short), weighed just 43 pounds. He was so emaciated that every bone in his body was visible, which left him looking like a skeleton.
He also suffered from pressure sores all over his frail body, and his tail was dying which caused the tip to fall off.
Staff spent every minute stabilizing him with IV medications, flushing his wounds, and getting him to eat as much as possible.
After two weeks, Hal had gained six pounds, was finally in stable condition, and able to move on to their shelter hospital at Main Line Animal Rescue.
Despite everything Hal had been through, he was still extremely sweet and always wagging his tail.
“What’s remarkable about Hal is that he seems to not be shy around people or sad about his state.” Nichola Redmond, the site director at Main Line Animal Rescue said. “He’s just happy to be around all the people here. So, I think he knows he’s getting good care and he’s grateful.”
Hal, who is around three or four years old, is currently on a refeeding program to help him safely gain even more weight.
Today, he looks unrecognizable. He went from a skeleton to a healthy looking pup after just a few weeks of getting the TLC he’s always deserved.
Once he is deemed ready, he will be up for adoption to find his forever home.
Watch his story in the video below: