In St. Louis, Missouri, a starving dog clung to life in the unlikeliest of places — tied to a fence at an abandoned school.
Emaciated and weak, no one knows how long she’d been left there. But just when it seemed all hope was gone, a passerby spotted her and called animal control.
“It’s a miracle someone even saw her,” Stray Rescue of St. Louis wrote in a Facebook post.
Animal control officers rushed the frail pup straight to Stray Rescue’s clinic, where staff immediately began emergency care.
“Even though she was in horrible shape, she was so sweet,” said Natalie Thomson, chief communications officer at the shelter. “She was weak and all bones, but she trusted us and wanted to cuddle with our vet techs.”
Because she was dangerously underweight, rescuers couldn’t let her eat as much as she wanted. Dogs in this condition are at risk of refeeding syndrome, a life-threatening complication if they eat too much too quickly. Instead, her meals were carefully spaced out — giving her body the chance to heal at a safe pace.
Day by day, the dog, now named Levey, began to regain strength. A week later, her personality was shining through.
“Levey’s personality is amazing,” Thomson said. “She is so grateful for love and affection, and she adores other dogs. All she wants to do is play.”
Levey has even found a best friend — another dog named Alaric, who also survived starvation before arriving at Stray Rescue. From the moment they met, the two connected instantly.
“They have similar play styles,” Thomson explained. “Now that they’re both feeling more energetic, they just love to wrestle and run together.”
Though Levey is still on her road to recovery, she’s almost ready for the next step: a foster home where she can continue to heal until she’s strong enough for spay surgery and, eventually, adoption.
As the shelter shared, “[She’s] ready for the fun part … to be fattened up!”
After enduring so much, Levey is finally safe — and for the first time in a long time, she knows love.
If you’d like to support Levey and other dogs like her, you can donate to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.
