Two dogs were reported to be [ᴄʜᴀɪɴᴇᴅ] to poles on a [ᴅᴇᴀᴅ]-end street in Pompano, Florida, last week, according to Officer Angela Laurella.
It was hard to determine how long the dogs had been there or who had abandoned them because there were no cameras in the area. Officer Laurella understood there was no time to spend, however, since the ambient temperature was approaching 100 degrees. Most importantly, she knew she had to hurry if she was going to save their lives.
She rushed over to find a frail gray dog ᴛ.ɪ.ᴇ.ᴅ so tightly to a pole that he could barely move.
“He was ᴛ.ɪ.ᴇ.ᴅ to a pole with a very short leash,” Amy Roman, president and founder of 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida, told. “He was absolutely ill, dehydrated, and thin.”
Now given the name Liam, the dog reach out its paw to touch the police officer’s hand and bowed its head.
“She just walked toward him very slowly and reached out her hand, and he kind of cowered and gave her his paw, as if to say, ‘Please help get me out of here,’
During Liam’s rescue, Laurella fed him some food to gain his trust even further. Liam didn’t have a microchip, and there were no leads to help officials find his previous owner.
The rescue determined that Liam is about four years old, and despite his rough history, he’s very loving. His past neglect has taken a toll on his current health, but volunteers did everything they could to help him heal and feel comfortable again.
While Liam still has a long road ahead of him, with many vet appointments in his future, he’s been a ray of sunshine since his rescue.
“He’s receiving so much love around the clock,” Roman said. “He’s being fed every hour on the hour so his body gets used to it … We have volunteers who are cooking batches of boiled chicken and rice, so he’s loving life right now.”
Not long after Liam was healthy, he went up for adoption and found his forever family. He was adopted by two members of the Broward Sheriff’s Office, who are prepared to give him endless love.
“He loves everybody,” Roman said. “To me, that says it all, because, after everything he’s endured, he’s still so grateful and forgiving.”