The story had a heart-breaking start. Someone found a dog hanging from a tree in Tucson, Arizona, earlier this month. Sunny, a shepherd mix, also had a rope bound around her mouth when she was found. It appears that there's going to be a much better ending, though.
The dog is not just recovering at a foster home now. Her plight has also attracted attention worldwide encouraging people to pitch in thousands of dollars so she can recover.
Pima Animal Care Center director of shelter operations José Ocaño said that the dog has started to recover and is currently under the care of a foster parent. He added that the dog also has started to get its spirit back and its eyes now look more hopeful and trusting, showing how resilient animals can be.
The dog has so far received more than $20,000 after her story attracted national and international attention. The shelter also posted updates and pictures of the dogs on its Facebook page and many of these have gained over 1,000 "likes."
The dog's medical bills fetched about $2,500 and since the dog has received more than this, the remaining amount will benefit other animals housed at the shelter, which has on average about 300 cats and 650 dogs on a daily basis and a small budget.
In one of its updates on Facebook, the shelter shared that Sunny's foster parent says the dog already feels well enough that it can now jump on the bed.
"People from all over county, and even the country, have already donated $15,000 toward the care of Sunny and the thousands of pets like her we take in every single year. We are astounded, humbled and incredibly grateful for the compassion you have shown to Pima County's abused pets. Thank you so much ... and stay tuned for Sunny updates from foster care," Pima posted on Facebook.
The dog was found hanging from a tree and bound by a yellow rope on May 12. Police are now searching for information about the dog's previous owner. Sunny was not microchipped and seems to have been neglected before she was rescued from the tree.
Those with information about where the dog was living before it was found are encouraged to contact 88-CRIME. Police currently are treating Sunny's case as a criminal investigation.
