Video: Bicyclists Save Desperate Dog Tied to a Tree in the Forest

A stock photo of a dog STR/AFP/Getty Images

An animal rescue group in Portugal posted a video showing the moment a desperate dog was rescued after being tied to a tree.

The dog, which appears to be emaciated, was spotted by bicyclists in an undisclosed location. Spanish rescue group Asociacion Animalista Libera posted the video to its Facebook page in mid-December. It’s not clear when the rescue took place.

The group suggested the animal was left to die in the forest.

“It takes a very bad person to leave a defenseless animal like that ... with a rope that would not allow [it] to lie down,” the post read. The dog “was very lucky that a group of cyclists found him and decided to rescue him,” it said, according to a Spanish to English translation before adding, “A thousand thanks!”

In the video, the dog apparently was tied very close to the tree and its ribs are seen sticking out. The bicyclists then were able to cut it free before giving it some food. It’s not clear what happened to the animal after the video.

Other details about the dog rescue are not clear.

The website DogHealth.com says that dogs that are underweight have visible rib “bones protruding and do not feel a small amount of muscle/fat over them when you run your hands along your dog’s sides.”

It adds, “When looking at the base of the tail you see bones sticking out and do not feel a small layer of fat/muscle covering the base when you run your hands along it,” the dog might be underweight. And when looking at the spine from above, if you “see bones protruding and do not feel a small layer of fat/muscle covering the spine when you run your hands along your dog’s back,” that means the dog is emaciated and needs to gain weight, the website states.

According to the BBC, Portuguese law bans keeping dogs chained permanently. Quebr'a Corrente, an animal welfare organization, said that it’s “still often the case in our country.”

Poor families keep their animals chained up in backyards because they can’t care for them, the BBC reported. “This doesn’t mean the owners don’t love their animals, so a philosophy of understanding without judging underpins all our actions,” Tania Mesquita, of the group, added.

Quebr'a Corrente is now operating around Portugal after getting donations from “crowdfunding” websites to get secure fencing for dogs. Sixty volunteers have put up fencing for 26 dogs and rescued six in need of medical care, the BBC reported.

Portuguese Dog Appears to Perform CPR

Meanwhile, police in Madrid released a video of a police dog “performing” CPR on a handler.

The Madrid police posted a video to their Twitter feed with the statement: “‘Heroic’ performance of our #4pawedcompanion Poncho, who did not hesitate for a moment to ’save the life' of the agent, practicing the #CPR in a masterful way.” It included the quote from John Billings, “The dog is the only being in the world that will love you more than he loves himself.”

Some commentators, however, noted that the dog wasn’t really performing CPR.