Severely Injured Dog Soaking Up Love After Being Found Tied To Dumpster

A severely injured dog is soaking up all the love he can after being found in an alley in St. Louis. A Good Samaritan discovered Spartacus tied to a dumpster and immediately contacted the police when she saw the condition he was in and brought him to her home. When the humane society didn’t come fast enough she reached out to Stray Rescue of St. Louis (SRSL) for help.

They arrived as quickly as possible, and when Donna, the rescue’s Chief Lifesaving Officer, approached Spartacus, his tail wagged despite his horrific injuries. Spartacus’ lower jaw had been savagely ripped apart, likely from a dog attack.

The woman who found him sadly told Donna, “It’s so sad. Somebody tortured him, but he’s so sweet.”

Please note: the videos below contain distressing and graphic images of Spartacus.

Stray Rescue of St. Louis was thankful that the woman helped him and said, “Many blessings to the amazing woman who found him tied to a dumpster and she didn’t leave him there. She took him home and made calls and laid down blankets for him…”

Donna lifted Spartacus into her Jeep and they took him to the shelter. Donna couldn’t help but tear up at the sight of him.

As soon as he arrived at the shelter, Spartacus was put on pain meds. Later, after he was settled and looked over by veterinarians, he had a nap. “We were going to get a quick pic of baby boy Spartacus snuggled up and sleeping for you, but he woke up and cried,” said SRSL.

“He’s such a baby, he breaks our hearts. He is on goooooood pain meds and will sleep well. He just wants to be cuddled by someone,” they continued. “It’s going to be okay, lil man.”

The next day Spartacus was in “great spirits.” They shared a video of him going for a walk and “having the best breakfast of his life.” They added, “Vet Tech Nikki is already in love with him.”

SRSL wrote, “Spartacus will need to be lightly sedated later today so we can debride more dead tissue and clean & treat the wound bed. We’ve been contact with specialists who recommend giving it another 24-48 hours to let the dead tissue really declare itself.” As result, they will wait a day or two before closing the injury.

They added, “If anything changes, you will be the first to know! But he’s proving to be a big baby and just wants all the love he’s been deprived of for so long.” To keep updated on Spartacus’ progress and to donate towards his care visit: Strayrescue.org/Spartacus

Pupdate:

SRSL provided an update on March 26, 2025: “We took Spartacus out in the sun, and he went from person to person to person, wagging his tail. Then he’d get distracted and enjoy some sniffing. Then he’d remember nice people were there to see him, and he’d wag the whole way back. Every time another staff member walked by, they’d come in to meet him. He LOVED it every time someone walked in. A party, just for him.”

They continued, “He became exhausted quickly, so now he’s taking a nap in his bed in the clinic. He’s being sedated later this afternoon so we can debride more dead skin, and we’ll take pics for you as well as provide a medical update, so you can see how it’s healing so far and learn next steps. But for now, we just wanted to show you how happy he is today!”

Pupdate Apr 11, 2025

Spartacus has had his surgery, making sharing photos of him much easier as his injuries were extremely graphic. He continues to be treated for infection. His wounds are healing slowly but surely but his sutures need to remain in for at least another week. Speaking for Spartacus, Stray Rescue wrote, “It’s uncomfortable, but my favorite part is my nurses have to hand-feed me meatballs and it is awesome. I love my nurses who take care of me so much. Actually, I love every single person I meet and love jumping in their laps, but I love them the most. I just love everything about life now that I’m safe, and I know it’s only going to get better. I can’t wait to be a part of a real family with a real house who are going to spoil me like crazy. That’s what everyone keeps saying will happen. I’ll get a real human best friend of my very own.”

Pupdate: Sept 30, 2025

Stray Rescue of St. Louis shared the most amazing news:

“We have HUGE news to share with the WORLD!

“You have all been with us since the beginning of Spartacus’ journey. The day we rescued him is one we will never forget. This strong, happy dog you see here was treated worse than you could ever imagine. A Good Samaritan took out her trash early in the morning and found a dog tied to her dumpster. He was filthy, skinny, and skin hanging from his face hung to his chest, and it looked as though he didn’t have a bottom jaw. Horrified, we rushed him to our clinic where we found out he DID have a jaw, but the skin was degloved. In our 27 years, we had never seen anything like that. We believe he was a victim of dogfighting.

“He went through months of surgeries, and the entire time, he treated us with grateful love and thanks. A wonderful human named Shannon came and took him home to foster. She helped him learn how to live in a home. She helped him learn his worth while also showing him structure. She kept him while he went through his heartworm treatment (yes, he had heart worms on top of everything else!)”

“Today is Shannon’s birthday. She decided there would be no greater gift in the world than to give Spartacus his forever home. HER HOME! Shannon has officially foster failed and became Sparty’s forever mama today! She says they’ve been through so much together and she loves him so much. Shannon’s mom treats him like a spoiled grandson, and he just loves his grandma, too.

“PEACE OUT, Spartacus! We love you so much and are so proud of you!”