A maintenance worker came across a horrible sight. Something no dog-lover would ever want to see.

It was a badly emaciated dog clinging to life after having been left in a garbage chute. The heartlessness and callousness required to commit such an act is hard to think about.

He was barely breathing when the worker discovered the dog, who now goes by the name Patrick. He had been thrown down the chute from 22 stories up.

This was his owner’s way of abandoning him.

He almost went in the trash compactor.

Patrick was found just moments before being put in the trash compactor. After rescuing him from the chute, the worker brought him to an animal hospital.

Staff there were not certain that Patrick would survive the night but they were determined to do everything they could for him.

His temperature was so low that a thermometer couldn’t even register it.

Garden State Veterinary Services was doing everything they could.

Staff at the hospital viewed every day that Patrick survived as a little victory. They fed him and cared for him as best as could be done.

The rest was up to him.

Patricia Smillie-Scavelli is the hospital’s administrator at Garden State Veterinary Services and spoke to NBC News about Patrick’s ordeal.

“It was as if he was not even alive,” she said about when Patrick first arrived.

Patrick weighed just 15 pounds when he arrived at the hospital. His body was shutting down because he was so emaciated.

The hospital staff would feed him slowly so that he would get used to food. It was estimated that he was about 1-years old when he was brought in.

Miraculously, Patrick started getting better.

Patrick started to put on weight.

After a while, Patrick started to put on some weight. His fur grew back and he started to look like a regular dog again. Patrick was going to pull through.

He was going to be given the chance at life his owner almost took away. Eventually, his weight tripled and all signs were positive for his survival.

“There wasn’t any magic, honestly,” said Scavelli. “We just fed him, and he developed normally.”

Patrick finds a new forever home.

As Patrick continued to do well, he started to look and act like a fully healthy dog. He even became playful and capable of experiencing joy.

Eventually, Patricia decided that she would adopt Patrick and give him his forever home.

“He would literally crawl under my feet at the desk, feeling safe in his own little place,” she said. “So it became really clear he was very close to me. Even the person from the [local] Humane Society was like, ‘I don’t think you have a choice. You have to adopt this dog,” Patricia told NBC News.

Patrick now enjoys a wonderful life.

Patrick and Patricia now enjoy a happy life together. There is also a 12-year-old pit bull and a cat named Lilly already living in the home.

Patrick and Lilly became good friends and he fits in with his loving family perfectly.

“It’s like you could be anywhere, and people would say, ‘How’s Patrick?’ He’s had a very lasting effect on everybody. He touched people,” Patricia said.

It’s been 10 years now since Patrick was rescued. He’s enjoyed a wonderful life and there is still more to go.

Learn more about Patrick’s incredible story in the video below!

Please SHARE this with your friends and family.

Source: NBC News/The Patrick Miracle