Tiniest Puppy Found Injured Is So Happy To Finally Be Loved

When Beauties and Beasts rescue got a call about a tiny pit bull puppy who had been attacked by another dog, they rushed to the local emergency vet where the person who found him brought him for help.

It was Christmas Eve, but they couldn’t wait. In addition to the several bite wounds across his tiny body, the puppy’s head was completely swollen — and it looked like he hadn’t eaten in a long time.

The Wichita, Kansas, rescue immediately agreed to cover his medical costs, and agreed on a name for the little guy: Jonah.

“If it had been just a few more days, he probably wouldn’t have made it,” Kristen Sewell, Jonah’s foster mom, told The Dodo. “He was about 10 weeks old, but only weighed 4 pounds. His hair was falling out from malnutrition.”

Although Jonah was fighting hard for his life, he still had so much joy. When Sewell and her husband, Brian, met him for the first time, he couldn’t stop wriggling around in excitement.

“He was wiggling his little butt like crazy and was just so sweet,” Sewell said.

After a few days in intensive care at the vet, Jonah was cleared to go home with the Sewells, who are experienced with special needs fosters. He settled in wonderfully at first — but a few days later, his front legs completely collapsed.

“He was walking out in the hallway and all of a sudden his front legs gave out,” Sewell said. “The vet said because he was so malnourished during his first few weeks of life, his muscles and tendons were especially weak.”

To help support his fragile front legs, the vet fitted Jonah with a pair of braces. He got used to them quickly and even used them as another way to get his foster parents’ attention when he wanted a snack.

“A big part of our training with Jonah has been teaching him to wait patiently while we prepare his dinner,” Sewell said. “So he will sit and wait, but gets so excited that he won’t stop tapping his paws on the floor.”

After a few weeks of wearing the braces and eating extra meals to improve his nutrition, Jonah was finally starting to feel a bit better.

Though the braces and extra feedings have helped Jonah physically, the love from his foster sister, Ariel, has been just as healing.

Ariel was rescued from an abusive owner two years ago by Beauties and Beasts — and is missing a leg because she was mistreated so badly.

“Ariel was found with her leg cut off,” Sewell said. “She was covered in scars from being used as a bait dog [in dogfighting] and had her mouth closed tight with barbed wire. So when Jonah first met Ariel, I think he understood right away that they had both been through a lot.”

Jonah was terrified of other dogs at first since he had been attacked so young — but Ariel helped him become more comfortable and confident with her kind, patient nature.

“Every time one of our other dogs would bring Jonah a toy, he’d bring his head close to his body and hide to protect himself,” Sewell said. “He didn’t trust them at first, but Ariel taught him that it was OK to play. She really brought him out of his shell.”

After being with his foster family for just one month, Jonah is almost fully recovered now and is looking for the perfect forever home after he receives his final vet check.

Until that day comes, Jonah will be representing Beauties and Beasts rescue at educational events for the Wichita community that help inform people about the important work that saved his life.

“Jonah is here because of [the rescue],” Sewell said. “This week, he’s going to an event for a local Girl Scout troop to teach them about what to do if you find a dog in trouble — and they’ll get to hear his story.”