She was brought to the U.S. and given little socks to help her walk around, but that wasn’t sufficient.

It was costly, but enough money was raised to fit her for prosthetic paws, enabling the tiny pup to run and play like any other pooch. Now she’s training to run her first 5K, and is so appreciative of every single thing in her life, including her foster mom (turned forever mom), Marilyn Hendrickson.

Journey still experiences some discomfort, but her veterinarians are confident that with time they will be able to make that disappear with proper prosthetics and care (also, tons of love and treats).

We wish the best for this sweet pup that had such a chillingly awful start to life!

The post Humans Set Her Whole Litter On Fire, But Now She Has A Second Chance appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Dylan is now happy, healthy, handsome and enjoying life in his new home, six months after being found, shockingly emaciated and abandoned.

In November, UK animal charity PDSA – For Pets in Need of Vets launched a nationwide search for the PDSA Pet Survivor of 2014: the pet that has faced the worst injury or illness – yet lived to ‘tell the tail’. This led to an avalanche of extraordinary stories featuring courageous pets, doting owners and brilliant vets. The competition helped to raise money for the charity, with each texted vote donating £2 to the organization.

The Pet Survivor 2014 award, announced on December 21, went to a Salki-Lurcher mix dog named Dylan, who was abandoned down a country lane in July, 2014, horribly emaciated and covered in sores and mange. Dylan was picked up by a kind man who took him to a local shelter, where he wasn’t expected to last the night. After months of careful rehabilitation, Dylan made a good recovery and found his forever home with owner Jamie Birch, who was immediately smitten with him when she saw him on Facebook. After lots of love, Dylan is looking forward to a bright future with his new family.

Dylan was rescued, cared for, fostered and rehabilitated by Hounds First Sighthound Rescue, which operates throughout England, Scotland and Wales

The touching video (found below) shows Dylan’s remarkable transformation from a shockingly emaciated victim of extreme neglect to a handsome and happy boy.

We have not included any of Dylan’s shocking “before” photos in this post, but they are briefly seen in the video.

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Hounds First Sighthound Rescue rescues and rehomes sighthounds including Lurchers, Greyhounds, Whippets and Salukis as well as other types of sighthound across the UK.

Dylan frolics with his new pal and sibling

Dylan in his PDSA Pet Survivor 2014 portrait

Dylan waits for his Christmas morning breakfast, December 25, 2014. Jamie Birch photo via Hounds First Sighthound Rescue at Facebook

The post Dylan’s Amazing Rescue Journey appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait there long before the amazing folks from St. Francis Community Animal Rescue & Education (CARE) in Murphysboro, Illinois took him into their care. They knew he wouldn’t make it out alive if left to wait for adoption in the shelter.

His new foster mother, Lynda Kuether, first brought him to a vet who explained that the paralysis was likely caused by a virus.

He was given antibiotics and steroids, and began a routine of physical therapy to strengthen his muscles and hopefully improve his mobility.

Kuether, a physical therapist for humans, started Zeus’s rehabilitation in a pool. Unable to move even while in the water, she and a volunteer friend would manually stretch his limbs.

Slowly he gained enough muscle to swim on his own.

On solid ground, he was able to scoot and army crawl around.

Watch his entire, amazing journey in this video chronicling his progress:

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Kuether and her wife, Jennifer LeDuc, officially adopted Zeus and are proud to report he can now run, climb stairs, and enter cars on his own. He’s even able to steal sandwiches off your plate, something Kuether was delighted by when he made his first sneaky attempt. He still needs steroids and ongoing physical therapy, but the proud parents have never regretted their decision to give him a second chance.

Their message is simple, “You don’t have to be perfectly healthy to be the perfect pet.” And this beautiful boy definitely proves it.

The post The Journey of Zeus The Dog Will Remind You That We All Deserve 2nd Chances appeared first on ILoveDogsAndPuppies.