“Thursday is National Rescue Dog Day and here in Louisville, who better to talk about than beloved Ethan the rescue dog.
Ethan’s story is one that spread across social media after he was found starved and abandoned in January outside the parking lot of the Kentucky Humane Society.
In honor of National Rescue Dog Day, here’s a look back at some of his moments as a reminder of just how the lives of rescue dogs can change with some TLC.
According to KHS, he had no muscles and had to learn to walk again. He only had a 50 percent chance of surviving when he was first found.
“Look to your local animal shelter because between Kentucky Humane Society and shelters in other regions, there are literally thousands of animals who will need help this year,” said Andrea Blair with KHS. “They may not be named Ethan and they may not have his story but they’re just as deserving as love and kindness as he is.”
He was still emaciated but you can see in this video Ethan getting the hang of walking again. That was huge progress for the dog after not even being able to lift his head.
With the help of the KHS staff, Ethan was able to pack on some pounds. Because of his condition, he needed feedings every few hours.
Once Ethan was healthy enough, he was able to spend his first night out of the shelter with staff member Jeff (who ended up adopting him later on). Ethan would then start spending the day at the shelter and the evenings with Jeff.
You can tell in this photo, he was living the good life.
Many wondered what kind of dog Ethan was and the KHS decided to do a DNA test. It revealed that Ethan was a mix of six different breeds: Presa Canario, Mastiff, Argentine Dogo, Bull Dog, Cane Corso, American Staffordshire Terrier. Wow!
The organization shared Tatum and his family’s story of finding Ethan on their Facebook page:
“After they dropped off their donations, they saw what they thought was a dead dog in our parking lot lying on a white towel. They stopped their vehicle and jumped out of the car. They called the adoption desk and waited outside with Ethan until our staff came out and rushed him to our veterinary ward. Their 11-year-old son, Tatum, was understandably very upset to see a dog in such a horrific condition.”….
View the whole story here: https://www.wlky.com/article/ethans-amazing-milestones-looking-back-at-an-abandoned-dogs-journey-to-happiness/36490436