"[He] gave her his paw, as if to say, ‘Please help get me out of here.’"
Last week, police officer Angela Laurella received reports that two dogs were tied to a telephone pole in a dead end in Pompano, Florida.
With no cameras in the area, it had been impossible to understand how long the dogs had been there or who'd abandoned them. But with temperatures climbing to 100 degrees outside, Officer Laurella knew there was no time to waste.
She rushed over to seek out a frail gray dog tied so tightly to a pole that he could barely move. “He was tied to a pole with a really short leash,” Amy Roman, president and founding father of 100+ Abandoned Dogs of Everglades Florida, told The Dodo. “He was absolutely emaciated, dehydrated, with every bone and rib protruding.”
The dog, now named Liam, placed his paw in the officer’s hand and bowed his head to receive pets. “She just walked toward him very slowly and reached out her hand, and he quite cowered and gave her his paw, as if to mention , ‘Please help get me out of here,’” Roman said. You can watch the rescue here:
Officer Laurella could see that Liam hadn’t had a simple life and needed especial care, so she reached bent the rescue 100+ Abandoned dog in the Florida Everglades asks for help.help. Albeit the rescue was over capacity, Roman accepted Liam without hesitation. After numerous vet visits, Liam is now relaxing in Roman’s home, where the 17-pound pocket bully is slowly gaining back his strength — and eating better than he ever has before.
“He’s receiving such a lot love round the clock,” Roman said. “He’s being fed every hour on the hour So his body got used to it … we've volunteers who are cooking batches of boiled chicken and rice, so he’s loving life immediately .” While Liam still features a long road before him, with many vet appointments in his future, he’s been a ray of sunshine since his rescue. “He loves everybody, and there’s not a mean bone during this dog’s body,” Roman said. “To me, that says it all, because after everything he’s endured, he’s still so grateful and forgiving.”
Liam is one among many animals who've been recently abandoned or surrendered by their owners in Florida. With numerous shelters bursting at the seams, Roman hopes pet owners will reach bent shelters and rescues for help and resources before deciding they will not look after their pets. Liam proved that every dog deserves a second chance.
Despite everything he’s been through, Liam remains offering people his paw, proving that he's ready for a life with a loving family. “I think humanity can definitely learn a thing or two from dogs like Liam,” Roman said. “It just restores your faith.”