A dog who had been dumped and left to starve to death has been given a fresh shot at life, all thanks to his chance discovery by a young man who refused to leave him behind.
When Tyler Price and his cousin, Eugene, were walking through an overgrown vacant lot in Flint, Michigan, they came upon an old sign lying on the ground.
On a whim, Tyler lifted it with his foot, revealing something very unexpected: a sewer-drain pipe. When the boys looked down the pipe, a starving Pit Bull looked back up at them.
Tyler and his cousin, Eugene ran home and told his dad that they needed to help the dog. They called the police and a local animal rescue group came out and pulled the dog out to safety. The boys named the dog Mars.
“I lifted it up with my foot and looked. All I could see were his eyes,” Tyler told Life With Dogs. The boys attempted to rescue the dog but were unsuccessful, so they called Tyler’s father, George, to come to help them.
“He immediately said, ‘Dad, take my wallet — can you go to the store and get the dog some dog food and water?’” The father said.
Afterward, Mars was taken to the vet for a checkup and placed under the care of Terissa Kerr, who fosters pets in need. Although he was found to be severely underweight, and suffering from heartworms, the dog is still incredibly loving after his long ordeal underground.
“You can’t get near him without getting kissed,” Kerr said. “He’s amazing.”
“My mind cannot comprehend why someone would want to do something like this — especially to him! He’s amazing … Thank God Tyler came along,” she said.
Mars would surely have died alone down in that hole if Tyler and Eugene hadn’t walked through that lot that day and been curious about what was under that sign!
Tyler’s father says that his son’s actions may just save another dog’s life very soon. “He’s been on me since Sunday about getting a dog, so we will get one that is rescued,” Tyler’s father told the news station. “He deserves it.” He certainly does!
According to Opposing Views, many readers expressed shock over the disturbing condition the dog was found in.
“On one hand, you get the evil turd that calls itself a human being doing this and on the other hand you actually get real human beings helping the situation,” one reader commented on Facebook.
“There needs to be stronger deterrent for these crimes. It’s a living being and the person whom did this, lacks some empathy. Take the dog to a shelter, anything but leaving it to have a horrific death. Just evil.”
“God sent those boys to rescue him…bless them and bless Mars with a loving forever home,” another wrote.
“Terrible how could they leave him there to die,” another added.
Sources: OpposingViews, Life With Dogs