It was a scorching day, with temperatures soaring past 100 degrees, when employees at a South Texas mechanic shop made an unexpected discovery: a tiny 6-week-old puppy curled up inside a tire.
The pup was weak and wobbly with cracked skin. Employees contacted
rescuers with Freedom Bound Hounds, who vowed to do everything they could to save him.
“We weren’t really sure if he was going to survive,” Jenny Carlisle, of Freedom Bound Hounds, said in a video for The Dodo. “He was in such bad shape.”
Team members took the puppy, now named Ravioli, to a medical foster home, where he began to recuperate.
Ravioli received needed treatment and enjoyed regular meals. He loved his new toys and snuggled them every night.
“When we first picked him up, he was like a little empty shell,” Carlisle said. “But within a couple of days, he started feeling a lot better, and he would wag his tail so fast.”
Once he was ready, Ravioli traveled to a new foster family in Idaho, where he finished his recovery journey.
"With every bath, meal, and snuggle, Ravioli got a little more pep in his step," rescuers wrote in a piece about Ravioli. "His fur began to grow back, his eyes filled with hope, and his once-bloated belly disappeared, giving way to the healthy, happy pup he was always meant to be."
At last, Ravioli was fully healed and ready to meet his forever family, who happened to live right across the street.
Rescuers smiled as they watched Ravioli settle into his new life.
"He now has two new furry siblings and spends his days playing, exploring, and basking in the comfort of being truly loved," rescuers wrote. "His foster mom says he’s thriving beyond belief and can’t stop wagging his tail."
