Dog Who Spent Her Life In A Cage Wags Her Tail For Rescuers

Life must have seemed so bleak and hopeless for this little dog named Liszka, peering out from the rusty bars of the cramped cage where her former owner kept her.

But now she's free - and finally has a reason to live.

Liszka was rescued earlier this month in Poland by the charity OTOZ Animals.

By the time she was brought to safety, her fragile body was so hunched from too long in that tiny prison that she could no longer stand or walk properly. Truth is, it was all too clear that Liszka had already given up trying.

"She was lying and waiting for death," OTOZ Animals wrote online.

Not surprisingly, Liszka was initially fearful of people, but that too has begun to change. She's been treated by a vet, and given frequent massages to loosen her rigid muscles so that now she can move around more freely - and in turn, her anxiety around people has ebbed as well.

There's still work to be done before Liszka recovers completely from her sad past, but she's already found a loving new forever home to do it in.

And as this touching video shows, however meekly, she's already wagging her tail.

According to OTOZ Animals, Liszka's former owner is a known abuser, and what that person did to her has been reported to authorities. But, sadly, cases like this one are not so uncommon - and it's up to all of us to stop it.

Click here to learn more about what to do if you suspect an animal is being abused.