We all love happy endings, but as with any story, we should not ignore the bitter beginning, writes justsomething.

Such is the story of Cala, the guard dog of a mechanic in San Jose, Costa Rica, who was pitifully tied to a chain so short that she could not rest her head or breathe properly. She was in poor condition, with wounds and malnutrition.

Fortunately, she was rescued and taken to the Territorio de Zaguates sanctuary where she is slowly recovering. But Cala faced another obstacle. Heartless people were trying to enter the shelter and feed the dogs poisoned sausages.

As a result, 16 dogs died and Cala developed neurological problems. We are happy that after overcoming the difficulties she has finally found a family who will treat her well and help her regain her faith in humanity. Discover Cala’s touching story through the pictures below.

Cala has been in this terrible situation for years. She cannot rest her head or breathe properly.

Concerned neighbors eventually intervened and brought Cala to the Territorio de Zaguates.

Cala was in a very bad condition it almost was too late for her.

When she was admitted to hospital, she was so malnourished and covered in sores that she could not even stand upright.

Cala’s recovery process took a long time and was very painful for her.

In addition to her physical weakness, Cala had difficulty trusting people and even other dogs.

Despite the difficult and long rescue process, the rescuers were very eager to help her.

Thankfully Cala was back in shape!

But sadly after her recovery another hurdle came into her life.

Heartless people entered the shelter and fed poisoned sausages to the dogs.

They killed 16 dogs with the incident and gave Cala neurological problems.

The fact that Cala was a tough dog, made her fight for her life until she was able to overcome her problems.

Cala is now living her best life with her new caring family. She is finally ready to trust again.