This grateful boy refused to give up.
Koa, a black and tan dog, walked the streets of Detroit until he couldn’t go any further. Freezing and hungry, he lay down on the side of a road and waited.
Miraculously, a Good Samaritan driving by noticed Koa’s frail body and pulled over. Recognizing he was in dire need of food and warmth, they brought him into their car and took him home.
Koa warmed up while the Good Samaritan reached out to friends and local animal shelters for help. Finally, word reached Theresa Sumpter, executive director and founder of Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue.
Sumpter agreed to meet Koa at APAWS Veterinary Hospital, where she also serves as executive director.
“As soon as we saw this person carrying in the dog, it was horrible,” Sumpter told The Dodo. “I mean, he couldn’t even lift his head up … but he was trying to wag his little tail.”
Immediately, Koa’s vet team began treatment. The dog’s temperature was so low it didn’t register on their thermometers. They placed Koa inside a warming unit and gave him some fluids, but Sumpter knew he needed an emergency vet.
“He was just so weak and clearly starved,” she said. Tests showed Koa wasn’t suffering from any disease or internal blockage, but he only weighed 33 pounds. “This is just pure neglect,” Sumpter said.
After a scary 24 hours, Koa showed some signs of improvement. He lifted his head and responded to the kind people showing him love.
“Within 48 hours, we were like, ‘OK, this dog is going to make it,’” Sumpter said. “Then we really saw his personality start to come around … He’s just, like, a happy, goofy, sweet dog, and it’s just astonishing.”
After several days of monitoring at the vet’s office, Koa went to live with a medical foster who could watch him closely.
In a Facebook post about Koa, Detroit Pit Crew Dog Rescue wrote, “We knew Koa was a warrior, and that he wanted to live.”
Last week, Koa arrived at Lenawee Humane Society, where he has blossomed.
“This boy is so excited to be alive,” Sasha Wilkerson, director of communications and marketing at Lenawee Humane Society, told The Dodo. “His entire body wiggles when he wags his tail. He also prances when he walks, like he has a pep in his step … Koa is such a character. We are obsessed with him.”
Since the Good Samaritan first discovered Koa on the roadside, the 1 1/2-year-old pup has gained 15 pounds. His beautiful fur is growing back, and he’s making new friends every day.
“KONG wobblers and snuffle mats are his favorite,” Wilkerson said. “He loves to snuggle and loves anything with food.”
Koa defied the odds against him and, from day one when he weakly wagged his tail at his rescuers, never gave up on his happy ending. With several families already queued up to meet him, Koa will be in a loving home before he knows it.