When staff at Ruff Start Rescue in Minnesota found Rosabella, a mixed-breed Pitbull, they could hardly believe their eyes.
Someone had locked the dog in a metal crate and abandoned it beside a dumpster outside a block of flats. The temperature outside was a freezing -15 degrees Celsius.
Heartless abandonment
How could anyone abandon a dog in a metal crate in such brutal conditions?
December is one of the coldest months of the year in Minnesota. When Rosabella was left in the locked crate, without even a scrap of a blanket, her chances of survival were slim. Luckily, fate intervened. A passerby noticed the crate and immediately alerted an animal rescue organisation.
"If the dog hadn't been found that afternoon, she wouldn't have survived the night," said Brianna Jensen, one of the volunteers who cared for Rosabella.
A miracle
The dog was in a terrible state. Not only was she hypothermic, but she was also severely emaciated and dehydrated. It was clear that she had been malnourished for a long time, her ribs were painfully visible.
The vet determined from her skeletal structure that Rosabella had likely spent most of her life in a crate. At the time of her rescue, she weighed just 9 kg. A dog of her size should weigh around 20 kg.
After her examination, Ruff Start Rescue began searching for a foster home. It was clear she could never return to a crate. Fortunately, Brianna stepped forward and took Rosabella into her home.
We hope that Rosabella is now living a happy life and is free to run as much as she wants.
