You may have seen dozens of stories now about animals abandoned during the war in Ukraine. That’s just how bad things have gotten. When you’re faced with survival in times of war, not everyone has the luxury of taking their furry companions with them.

Many pets, like this Pit bull, were left behind by Ukrainian citizens evacuating the war.

Rescuers found the starving, abandoned Pitty tied up to a nearby kennel. The leash wasn’t even long enough to let him walk all the way into the kennel. There was no sign of a water source or food near him.

There was no telling how long he’d been here. The answer was probably a simple “Too long.”

He was excited to have company after so long. For all this time, the only company he had was the chain around his neck, and a lonely kennel.

The sight of people after so long made him visibly happy.

He even got up and grabbed one of the rescuer’s hands when she approached him.

That horrible chain around his neck had begun to damage his skin. This is what war does. Adults, children, and even animals all aren’t safe.

Well, the people carrying out this rescue are brave citizens of Ukraine themselves. They are the people behind Love Furry Friends, and they’re not leaving behind any of the animals they find in Ukraine’s war-torn areas.

The dog must be starving, so they fed it its first meal in ages.

He ate it all up without hesitation – owing to how long he’d gone without food. Poor doggy!

Love Furry Friends would do more than just feed him and give him company, though.

They were a rescue organization, after all. Into their vehicle the dog went. This was a proper rescue. That meant a trip to the shelter, and a load of other things he needed.

When they made it to the shelter, the Pitty was still incredibly hungry.

They treated it to another bowl of food, which it promptly chowed down on. He’s probably making up for the ages that he hadn’t eaten.

It wouldn’t be a rescue without a bath. After being exposed to the elements in a war-ravaged country like he was, you wouldn’t smell that pleasant either.

So bathe him they did. It was almost definitely his first bath in potentially months.

He was a bit nervous, but this was good for him even if he didn’t know it. As they gave him a bath, the water turned a visible grey and brown color. It goes to show just how dirty he was after spending all that time abandoned outside.

Now the most important part: A visit to the vet.

A dog that’s been through all of this can’t possibly be in the best health. Once at the vet, they had him vaccinated, dewormed, and neutered. He was rather underweight. Pitbulls should be quite a bit stockier that he is – even though Pitbulls aren’t a specific breed.

Still, his build showed how much that abandonment took its toll on his weight.

They named him Toby, and he made a ton more progress in the weeks after. He regained weight and was a lot happier!

Toby is still waiting for the forever home he deserves. In the meantime, you can donate to help rescue organizations take care of animals like him.

Watch it all in the video below, and please share this article as well!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: Love Furry Friends – Rescue Channel on YouTube, “Pit bull” on WikiPedia