A community in East Grand Rapids is rallying behind an emaciated dog who they found collapsed in the middle of the road.
Emilie Bond said that her husband was out walking their dog in early June when he spotted the dog lying on the road. The dog, now named Hope, “looked to be in terrible condition,” said Bond.
Bond shared Hope’s rescue story on the Hope for Hope – An Abandoned Dog in Grand Rapids Facebook page. She wrote, “This morning the starved/emaciated dog in these photos was spotted by my husband and a few other neighbors on Lakeside, where she had crawled out of the woods and collapsed in the middle of busy morning traffic, too exhausted to make it across the street. Concerned neighbors stopped traffic and kept her safe and were eventually able to get her to the sidewalk.”
They gave the dog some water where she “took a few gulps” and “then flopped her face in the water bowl, too exhausted to raise her head again.”
Police and animal rescue were called but after seeing the dog they didn’t have high hopes. “The police and animal rescue were called, but they did not give us much hope for this dog,” said Bond. “That’s when Rachel, a neighbor and guardian angel showed up, and said she would save the dog at any cost and decided to take her to Cascade Animal Hospital. By doing this, Rachel has assumed responsibility and cost for the dog, whom she has named Hope, as Cascade has given us hope that she might pull through.”
The vet hospital suspects that the Pit Bull is around 7 years old and has been bred many times by a backyard breeder and then discarded. Examinations show that Hope has skin infections and rocks in her stomach (not uncommon for starving dogs to eat rocks). She’s being checked over for other possible health issues.
Rachel has also “generously agreed to take this dog in as her own, or to responsibly work with an organization to have Hope placed in a loving home,” Bond posted on Hope’s Facebook page.
Knowing Rachel would not have the funds to cover Hope’s extensive medical expenses Bond set up a GoFundMe and has helped raised money for Hope’s care.
It was touch and go for Hope during her first week in hospital. Her first night she was transferred to the Animal Emergency Hospital where she could receive IV throughout the night and be monitored 24/7.
A few days later, Hope proved stable enough to allow her to go home with Rachel’s family. “A home where she will sleep inside on a soft bed, feel infinite love, and never go hungry again,” said her caregivers.
“When we found Hope we weren’t sure that this outcome would be a reality. Honestly, things looked grim but we wanted to give this girl a fighting chance, and fight she did. And while she still has a ways to go to get back to optimal health, today she was all tail wags and love for her humans (she is the sweetest girl).”
They shared a short video clip of Hope on her first night stay in her new forever home. “She had a perfect first night and day at home, sleeping peacefully all night in her bed (with the cutest little snores) politely notifying her humans when she needed to get up for a potty break. She’s slowly getting introduced to the other fur babies, with only one other pup at home with her now.”
They added, “Her progress continues to amaze us every day!”
Disclosure: This post may include affiliate links.