When Animal Control found Cloe, a little tan mixed-breed dog, she was in a small cage with severe wounds and was putting off a putrid smell. Her legs were rubbed raw and to the bone, her flesh rotting away, and she was missing toes.  Cloe was immediately taken to Vicksburg Animal Hospital and the person in possession of the dog, was charged with animal cruelty.

The festering wounds on her feet were so badly infected that the smell made the seasoned and experienced 14-year veterinarian gag. The doctor noted that Cloe was a candidate for euthanization, but she decided that since Cloe was somehow still able to walk, she’d receive treatment instead.

That was in April.  Three months later, Cloe’s horrific wounds have slowly healed. With surgeries, skin grafts and a lot of love, this brave little dog has come full circle and looking at her today, you’d never know how much she’s been through.

Caregivers say that Cloe is a good, sweet girl, but also that they had to “show her how to be a real dog and teach her doggie manners.”  Thankfully, the City of Vicksburg Animal Shelter partnered with CARE of DC to help Cloe find her happily ever after.

When life gets hard, think about brave Cloe, whose determination to walk, even as her feet were impossibly mangled, saved her from being put down, and whose willingness to trust people, even after being so terribly wronged, allowed her find healing and a chance at a new life.