A good samaritan based in Earlton, NY, opened his door one frigid, wintry evening to find a stray dog shivering in the freezing January air. Not only was she severely malnourished, but she was also hairless. The man didn’t have a clue where the stray dog had come from, but he knew he had to help get her out of the cold.

“It appeared that she had been dumped by the roadside and abandoned. It was a frigid night, and it was assumed she came to the door looking for food and warmth,” wrote a spokesperson for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA on their Facebook page.

The man, who remained anonymous, decided to bring the stray dog in out of the cold. Then, he called the police.

Not knowing what else to do, he figured the police would be able to help. He was right. The police showed up at his door to take the poor stray into the shelter. Once the dog arrived at the shelter and the staff had a chance to look her over, their hearts all fell.

“She was in bad shape. She had some open lacerations on her face and neck, and was pretty much devoid of any hair. It was sad. It’s always sad to see them like this,” said Ron Perez, president of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society.

Sadly, the stray dog was suffering from Demodex mange, an awful skin condition that develops as a result of mites burrowing beneath the skin.

According to Chris Reeder, who is a board-certified vet at Franklin, Tennessee’s BluePearl Veterinary Hospital, Demodex mange can actually be fatal for dogs if they go too long without treatment.

“Generally, it’s more debilitating than fatal, but in certain situations it can be,” he said.

Although the stray dog had managed to survive her many trials, they still took their toll.

The mange had a severe effect on her health. Not only did it leave her hairless, but her skin was in a detrimental condition as well. She was dry, flaky, and covered with infected scabs.

“When she scratched it, she would scratch her flesh, which would get infected and create more bleeding,” explains Perez.

Everyone at the shelter was rooting for the sweet stray dog. They provided her with all the medical treatment she needed to fight off her infections and the burrowing mites. They also made sure to give her loads of TLC while she recovered.

Shelter staff even gave the stray dog a name, Penny. To everyone’s elated surprise, Penny began healing very rapidly.

“Within one week, she looked like a different dog. The vet was pretty impressed with her recovery,” recalls Perez.

Precious Penny continued healing at the shelter and within a matter of weeks, she was looking like a healthy, happy pup. She is now 100% mange-free, though Perez says that she may never regrow fur in some spots.

“She’s a real fighter and very resilient. Her stress levels are clearly much lower now, because she’s interacting with people and she has proper food and is sleeping correctly,” he shares.

As for the man who abandoned poor penny after what was clearly a lifetime of neglect, justice is coming for him.

Police identified him within 24 hours. They arrested him on charges of animal cruelty and, if he’s found guilty, will be facing a hefty fine of $1,000 and quite possibly jail time.

While everyone was glad to see the person who abused Penny being brought to justice, that wasn’t the best thing to happen for the sweet dog.

The best thing happened when she was adopted by her new forever family!

“We got a lot of applications to adopt her, but these two individuals are fantastic pet owners. They took it slowly and came and visited with her a couple times a week. They brought their dogs in, and everyone got along fabulously. I’d like to think this will be the last home she’ll ever go to,” a soft-hearted Perez explains.

“She’s just a sweet dog. She really doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She’s an absolute doll, and she’s going to be a great pet,” exclaims Perez.

There’s not a soul in the world who has any doubt about that. We’re sure that Penny is filled with gratitude for the love, support, and care of the shelter staff, and if the pictures are any indicator, she really has found her forever home.

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Source: The Dodo