Dog Discovered Fighting for Her Life Makes Amazing Recovery: 'True Angel'

A dog found fighting for her life on the side of a Florida road after possibly being hit by a car is now well on her way to recovery.

Spirit, believed to be six, was found in an emaciated state with head trauma and scarring by a passerby on October 14, before she came into the care of the Humane Society of the Treasure Coast (HSTC) in Palm City, 106 miles north of Miami.

"She couldn't walk and was very emaciated with facial scarring and injuries to her feet padding," an HSTC spokesperson told Newsweek. "Her temperature was very low and she was in and out of consciousness. We were really not sure if she would make it.

"She still will not drink water on her own, so the fosters are giving her water through a syringe and in her wet food. She never chews her food and gulps it down without chewing, so we are assuming she had a tough life."

When Spirit was more stable, the HSTC sent her to foster with its experienced volunteers, Neda and Rick Story.

The pair administered medicines to the emaciated dog and regularly monitored her condition, in addition to giving her four small meals a day to help her reach a normal weight.

Neda Story said in a reply to an October 30 update about Spirit's condition: "Spirit is a true angel. Rick and I are honored to be her foster parents. She is just starting to play with stuffed toys."

Each year, 6.3 million pets are surrendered to U.S. shelters, which is an average of 17,260 a day, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. The number of dogs and cats taken in by pet shelters hit 46,807 during January 2023, an increase of 1,744 compared with January 2022, the 24Pet 'Shelter Watch Report' found.

Around 920,000 surrendered animals are euthanized every year. Shelters are striving to minimize euthanasia rates by promoting adoption campaigns, spaying and neutering programs, and behavior rehabilitation.

After no owner came forward to claim Spirit during her five-day stray hold, she will be available for adoption once she has been medically cleared.

"She is extremely sweet and loves attention. She's submissive and her tail is always wagging," the spokesperson told Newsweek. "She is very calm and quiet now, but that might change once she starts to feel better."

Spirit loves spending time with other dogs, sleeps through the whole night in a crate at her foster home, and seems to be potty trained.

"She would probably be fine with any type of loving family because she seems to love everyone," the HSTC spokesperson said.