Some animals arrive at shelters in poor condition, but with a little care, they can make amazing recoveries. This is exactly what happened with a dog named Pumpkin.
In September, the South Suburban Humane Society in Illinois took in a dog who had been found nearly starving. A local resident spotted him and thought he was dying, so they brought him to the police. The shelter was shocked by his condition. Emily Klehm, CEO of the South Suburban Humane Society, said that Pumpkin’s case was one of the worst they had seen, leaving them speechless. “He was severely emaciated and unable to walk,” she explained.
Photos of Pumpkin show just how thin he was — it was a miracle he survived. Vets worked quickly to help him, giving him fluids and shaving off his matted fur. Slowly, he started to improve and was placed into foster care with one of the shelter staff members.
“Thankfully, we got him into foster care, and now he’s starting to stand on his own again,” the shelter shared on Facebook. Pumpkin’s journey is far from over, but he has made incredible progress already. In just a few weeks, he has gone from being unable to stand to walking around the yard on his own, wagging his tail.
“Pumpkin is so strong and getting better every single day,” the shelter wrote. Though he is still thin, he has started to gain weight. “We can’t wait to see how much more he improves!” they added.
While his past is still a mystery, the shelter plans to put him up for adoption once he’s healthy enough. Pumpkin will need a family who understands his past neglect. He doesn’t know how to act like a normal dog, so he will need someone experienced with pets.
For now, he is thriving in his foster home. It’s sad that Pumpkin had to endure such neglect, but we’re so happy to see him recovering and hope he finds a forever home soon when he’s ready!