Dog News

Abused Dog Makes Miraculous Recovery

by Melanie

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A dog named Ryder has made a wonderful recovery after being found severely malnourished, but fighting to survive, when she was left chained to a doorknob. Her former owner, Corina Martinez, has been charged with animal cruelty.

Phoenix police were called to an apartment for a domestic violence issue, and discovered an emaciated, two-year-old bull mastiff chained to a doorknob. The chain was so short that the dog was basically hanging; her hind paws struggled to scrape the floor.

Corina Martinez
Corina Martinez

 

Officers arrested owner Corina Martinez, who knew her dog was in distress but did nothing to help her. The dog was so weak that once released from her tether, could not even walk without falling down.

The poor girl had been neglected for so long that vets weren’t sure she would survive. But survive she did, and now she thrives.

“She had been completely starved, and she was found hanging from a doorknob. She couldn’t put her front paws on the ground. She weighed 24 pounds when she came in and now she’s up to 38 pounds,” said Ashleigh Goebel of the Arizona Humane Society.

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“She’s been able to put on some weight and she’s really come out of her shell too. She was really down in spirits when she first came into our shelter and now her personality is starting to bubble up to the surface. She’s not out of the woods, we’d still like her to gain some more weight. It’s going to be three to four more weeks, we’re predicting, before she’s of good weight and ready to go up for adoption.”

They’re working on basic training with Ryder, but it is obvious that she’s a quick learner and full of love to give to the right family.