The pup was found by a member of Oahu-based organization Paws of Hawaii on Tuesday after someone armed with a machete, presumed to be the owner, had just buried her beneath the sand on the west side of the island, the group posted to Facebook last week.
The dog, named Leialoha for “beloved child,” was swollen, sunburned, missing most of her fur and “bleeding from every inch of her body” when she was picked up, according to the organization. Her leg had also been cut with the machete.
The animal rescue group PAWS of Hawaii released this image of a dog that they say was found after it was cut with a blade and then buried alive on a beach in Hawaii, July 9, 2019.
PAWS of Hawaii via Storyful
Leialoha was rushed to a veterinary clinic, and caregivers were finally able to give her a bath two days later.
On Saturday, Leialoha’s foster parents posted an update stating that she has “come so far.” At first, she would only leave her kennel to go to the bathroom, but she has since ventured out to “see what was for dinner” and has found her safe space under a coffee table.
The animal rescue group PAWS of Hawaii released this image of a dog that they say was found after it was cut with a blade and then buried alive on a beach in Hawaii, July 9, 2019.
PAWS of Hawaii via Storyful
“She has a long way to go, but the worst is over,” a Facebook post read.
The organization is asking the community for donations for Leialoha’s recovery.
The animal rescue group PAWS of Hawaii released this image of a dog that they say was found after it was cut with a blade and then buried alive on a beach in Hawaii, July 9, 2019.
PAWS of Hawaii via Storyful
Thanks to ‘amazing’ care from Aloha Affordable Veterinary Services, her foster mom ‘Amanda’ and the ‘love care and donations from the community,’ Leilaloha almost looks like she’s all smiles in snaps on rescue center PAWS of Hawaii’s Facebook page.
Leialoha (pictured above) is the picture of health after she was found buried alive with machete cuts, swollen and severely sunburned on a Hawaii beach this summer
Leialoha the dog was discovered buried in the sand (left) after having her front left paw hacked at multiple times with a rusty machete. She was rescued by PAWS of Hawaii and was taken into their care (right)
Leialoha (above) has made ‘the fastest recovery we have yet to see,’ reported her rescuers who posted images online of the now-healthy pooch
She was being prepared to ‘fly off to her forever home in Hawai’i (big island),’ read the post.
Paws of Hawaii was alerted to the dog’s burial site by a Good Samaritan who spotted a man burying her in the sand.
Slash marks on her front left leg led the rescue team to believe that a rusty machete buried alongside her was used to cut the animal.
In horrifying pictures, the dog can be seen with red-raw skin and her head barely sticking out of the sand.
Pictures posted online by PAWS of Hawaii, which rescued the severely abused animal, show that her pure white fur and tan spots have returned after she had lost 90 percent of it
Leialoha (above) was left ‘incredibly swollen, sunburned and missing 90 per cent of her fur’ after being buried in the sand
Leialoha is now with temporary foster carer Amanda for two months, who has said that she is beginning to socialize with people again (right). Previously she would hide in her cage apart from when she needed to go to the bathroom
Aloha Affordable Veterinary Services believed she had a ‘severe skin disease and dehydration’
After a public plea to find a two-month foster carer for the dog, Good Samaritan Amanda offered to take her in.
‘My heart was broken and I knew she needed us to foster her,’ Amanda wrote online.
Previously, Amanda reported that after the dog’s first bath, Leialoha was ‘bleeding from every inch of her body.’ However, she made vast improvements in both her health and confidence and was soon interacting with people again. Prior to that, she was only leaving her kennel to go to the bathroom.
Now with her amazing recovery, PAWS of Hawaii is hoping Leialoha’s image on shirts created by Bonfire will help raise money for other dogs in need. Proceeds from sales will support medical costs for dogs that come to the rescue in ‘dire conditions,’ the way Leialoha had.
Adorable Leialoha (above) shortly after being rescued by the team at PAWS of Hawaii. Her skin was still coated in sand and she was missing 90 per cent of her fur