Dog Drowning In Tar Pit Gets Rescued Just In Time

A dog who had been left to face certain death knows the very worst of human cruelty - but thanks to the tireless efforts of her rescuers, human kindness has prevailed in saving her.

Jhonny Alquinta and his son were driving off-road in the desert near their home in Antofagasta, Chile, when they made a stomach-churning discovery. There, in one of several tar pits that spot the landscape, they saw the dog struggling under the thick sludge.

They called for help and set about trying to free her.

With great effort, the pair were able to pull the dog from the pool of tar before it was too late, but it was clear that how she had gotten there was no accident.

Someone had put her in a sack and thrown her in.

Afterward, they rushed the dog to a local veterinary clinic. Even then, no one was certain that she would survive the exposure to toxins in the tar.

Staff at the clinic still leapt into action.

Working as team, the clinicians carefully began to scrub away the sticky substance from the dog's body.

The process of removing the tar took more than four hours.

Slowly but surely, the animal who'd nearly drowned began to reemerge.

The veterinary clinic later reported that the dog was in stable condition, albeit exhausted from her struggle to stay afloat.

Perhaps in honor of her perseverance, rescuers named her after the substance she was found in: Quitrán, Spanish for "tar."

Local authorities are investigating to track down the person responsible for the act of cruelty.

In the meantime, Quitrán is continuing to recover under the care of the clinic staff, though she's already smiling.

When the time is right, they plan to adopt her out to a good home where she can enjoy the life that was nearly taken from her.