A dog can bring immense joy to our lives, making it hard to comprehend how some people can be so cruel to these defenseless creatures. Despite this, neglect, abuse, and abandonment of dogs occur every day.
The Animal Sanctuary, an animal shelter in New York, sees this cruelty regularly, but nothing could have prepared them for what was about to happen.
Two girls found an abandoned dog under the Manhattan Bridge and immediately brought it to the shelter. When the staff saw the dog for the first time, they were stunned.
The dog was so emaciated and in such poor condition that they weren’t sure he would survive. However, they were determined to do everything possible to give him a happy ending.
Difficult Recovery
Before arriving at the animal shelter, the two girls wrapped the dog in warm blankets, showing that there are still people with big hearts, always ready to help those in need.
Although the girls couldn’t do more, the staff and volunteers at the sanctuary took over. Thankfully, the dog was in good hands.
“We brought him inside,” said Nicole Chan, Director of Marketing and Communications at Animal Haven, to The Dodo. “We placed him on the floor and everyone could see how sad the situation was.”
Although the dog, now named Timmy, was literally skin and bones, he managed to move a little. The shelter staff were surprised but saw this as a sign that Timmy wasn’t going to give up easily.
He was rushed to the emergency vet, where doctors confirmed what they already suspected—Timmy was in terrible shape.
In addition to being emaciated, veterinarians discovered wounds that indicated mistreatment, with some resembling cigarette burns.
Animal Haven posted on Facebook: “Timmy was also diagnosed with pneumonia on top of everything else.”
Given his condition, the veterinarians informed the shelter that Timmy would need to stay in the hospital for an extended period.
Despite the uncertain outlook, Timmy slowly began to recover, thanks to the amazing veterinarians, daily visits from the shelter staff, and generous donations for his treatment.
Because of these kind souls, the happiest days for Timmy were on the horizon.
A New Beginning
Timmy spent 36 days in the hospital before he was finally ready to leave. While a full recovery was still far off, this was a significant first step.
Once discharged, Timmy returned to the shelter where the staff greeted him with open arms. But he didn’t stay there long.
According to Animal Haven’s Facebook post, they received numerous offers to foster Timmy, and soon found him the perfect temporary home.
“Alison appeared,” Nicole said. “We thought, ‘We hope this is a foster fail!'”
Though they didn’t know how things would turn out, it soon became clear that this story was heading towards the happiest ending. Alison and Timmy quickly formed an unbreakable bond.
“Right away, he wouldn’t leave my side,” Alison said. “Whenever I sat on the couch, he’d jump up and sit right next to me.”
Timmy’s health improved faster than expected, and most importantly, he healed emotionally. Despite all he had endured, Timmy became a happy dog, radiating positivity.
Everything in his life finally seemed to fall into place.
Happy Ending
After a few weeks with his foster mom, Timmy received the best news of all—he was officially a “foster fail.”
“After three weeks, I couldn’t imagine giving him back or having someone else adopt him,” Alison said. “It just felt right. This works.”
On the day of his adoption, Alison decided to visit Animal Haven, where it all started. The staff were thrilled to see Timmy again.
They were proud of what he had become, knowing the condition he was in not long ago.
In their final Facebook post about Timmy, Animal Haven thanked everyone who helped make these moments possible. They ended the story with words that bring tears of joy.
“Working in animal rescue is often hard, but it’s unimaginably rewarding,” they wrote. “When animals like Timmy come through our doors, it can shake your faith in humanity. But happy endings like this make it all worth it.”
