A dog named Vinny has a second chance at life after being left for dead on the side of a Miami road. The sweetheart of a dog was severely injured – by the looks of it, badly beaten and possibly stabbed. He wasn’t going to survive unless someone acted fast, and thankfully, someone did.
Natalie Ramo saw the dog and commotion on the street and intervened.
“He kind of fell over, and there was a woman yelling, and she was very upset, and she was speaking Spanish – my Spanish is not very good,” Natalie explained. “I was trying to communicate with her and figure out what happened; and his eyes were rolling back in his head, and it was so sad.”
She didn’t need a translator to know that Vinny was badly hurt and needed immediate medical attention. She scooped him up into her car and rushed him to Biscayne Animal Hospital.
“He came to us pretty much lifeless, couldn’t walk, couldn’t breathe, his chest was full of blood, he had broken ribs and a broken sternum and lacerations throughout his whole body,” said Dr. Johanna Bustter.
“I don’t understand how anyone could do that to any living being,” Natalie said. “I don’t understand; obviously it’s a very sick individual.”
Sadly, cases like Vinny’s are far too common in the area. The Miami Pet Assistance Coalition is a nonprofit organization that helps stray and feral animals get treatments, care and adoption, and they come across too many animals that are neglected and abused.
“We see several dogs in the streets many of them are sick with mange, malnourished, hit by cars and injured sometimes unfortunately they are dead in the street it is a constant problem,” said Michelle Thomas of the MPAC.
But at least in this case, there is a happy ending. After spending a week recuperating at the animal hospital, Vinny has improved from his injuries and has been adopted. His new family was found by the MPAC, and are helping to cover the cost of his medical care. Vinny was once at death’s door, but is now expected to make a full recovery.
Anyone interested in more information or making a much-needed donation to MPAC may visit: https://www.facebook.com/MiamiPetAssistanceCoalition
