When a picture of a Weimaraner that literally appeared to be starving to death appeared on a parish animal control page in Louisiana, animal lovers in New Orleans got the dog to the only no-kill rescue shelter in the city, the Southern Animal Foundation. Deanna Theis, who was the assistant director, had seen pretty much everything before she met the skeletal dog, Alex.
When they got Alex, they couldn’t believe he'd made it this far. “How he [was] still alive at this point [was] pretty much a miracle,” Theis told WVUE. If her organization had not rescued him, he would have most likely been put down at the parish shelter. “He was extremely close to death. If they’re not pulled by rescues they’re euthanized.”
Perhaps the saddest moment was when X-rays revealed exactly what the traumatized dog had been surviving on: a diet of rocks and sticks. He had to have surgery to remove the debris before he could really get back to normal. But grow he did, putting on weight and getting closer and closer to being fostered and adopted.
Pretty soon, lots of people had seen the pictures and read the story of this miracle dog that survived intense starvation and was just looking to be loved and to love someone else.
Meanwhile, Alex helped SAF raise money and attention for its efforts and even got a professional photo shoot! Plus, people around the country sent in care packages with fun treats and toys for him. His life definitely had turned around completely from those first terrifying days, when SAF staff didn’t know how much longer he would live.
Then the day finally came when Deanna Theis and her fellow staff members had to say goodbye to their shelter’s incredible mascot, whom they nursed back to health and become so close to.
“He has good color in his gums, his eyes are bright, when he goes to sit down he doesn’t whine. He has this incredible joy for life that’s awesome,” his proud mother said.
