A dog can bring so much happiness to our lives that it is sometimes just unbelievable how some people can be so cruel to these helpless creatures. Despite everything – neglect, abuse, and abandonment of dogs still happen every day.
People from Animal Haven – an animal shelter in New York, witness this every day, but nothing could have prepared them for what they were going to see.
Two girls found an abandoned dog under the Manhattan Bridge and immediately brought him to their premises. When the staff saw the dog with their own eyes, they were in shock.
He was so emaciated and generally in such a bad state that they were not sure if he would survive. However, they were determined to do everything to ensure that this poor doggo met his happy ending.
Difficult Recovery
Before bringing him to the animal shelter in New York, these two kind-hearted girls wrapped the dog in warm blankets. With this, they showed that there are still people with truly big hearts who are always ready to help those who need it the most.
However, they could not do more than that, so further care of him was taken over by Animal Haven employees and volunteers. Fortunately, he was in truly safe hands.
“So we brought him inside,” Nicole Chan, the director of marketing and communications with Animal Haven, told The Dodo. “We first put him on the floor. And we just took a look at him and you could tell that everyone was so heartbroken.”
Although he was literally skin and bones, Timmie, as this dog was called, started to walk around a little bit. The people at the rescue center were very surprised, but they also knew that this was the best sign that Timmie would not surrender so easily.
Yet, they rushed him to the emergency vet, where the doctors confirmed what they already knew – Timmie was in horrible condition.
Aside from being emaciated, “the vets determined that some of the numerous wounds on his skin strongly suggested abuse – consistent with cigarette burns.”
“On top of everything, Timmie was also diagnosed with pneumonia,” Animal Haven wrote in their Facebook post.
Considering his condition, the veterinarians immediately informed the shelter staff that Timmie would have to stay in the hospital for a long time.
However, although his future was uncertain, Timmie slowly but surely recovered. On that road, he received help from amazing veterinarians, shelter employees who visited him daily, as well as good people who donated funds for his treatment.
Thanks to all these good souls, happier days were finally in sight for this dog.
New Beginning
Timmie spent 36 days in the hospital before he was ready to be discharged. Although there was still a long road to full recovery ahead of him, he made a crucial first step.
After he came out of the hospital, Timmie returned to the shelter where the staff welcomed him with open arms. However, he did not stay there for long.
According to Animal Haven’s Facebook post, they received many offers to foster Timmie, so they were easily able to find him an ideal temporary home.
“Allison came out of the woods,” Nicole said. “We were just like, “We hope this is a foster fail”!”
Even though they didn’t know what would happen at the very beginning, everything pointed to the happiest ending. In a very short time, Allison and Timmie bonded strongly and became inseparable.
“Right away, he would not leave my side,” Allison said. “Anytime I sat on the couch, he’d jump up on the couch and be right next to me.”
Faster than expected, Timmie’s health condition improved, but more importantly, he was recovering emotionally. Despite everything he had been through, Timmie was once again a happy dog and radiated positive energy.
Almost everything in his life finally fell into place.
Happy Ending
After several weeks spent with his foster mom, Timmie finally received the happiest news. He officially became a “foster fail.”
“After three weeks of having him, I could not imagine at that point brining him back and having someone else adopt him,” Allison said. “It’s like, “OK, this makes sense. This works.”.”
On the adoption day, Allison decided to visit the place where everything started. When she brought Timmie to the premises of Animal Haven, the staff was over the moon to see him again.
They were happy, but also proud at what this dog had turned into, knowing the condition he was in not so long ago.
In their last Facebook post about Timmie, they thanked all those who in any way contributed to these special moments. Finally, they ended this heartwarming story with words that truly bring tears of joy to the eyes.
“Working in animal rescue is often difficult, but unimaginably rewarding,” they wrote. “When animals like Timmie come through our doors, it can make you lose faith in the world. But happy endings like these make everything worthwhile.”