Dog Found At 'Dumping Ground' Looked Dead — But Then He Took A Breath

With a little love, he was able to stand up.

This week, a stray dog was lying lifelessly in Echo Lake Park in Fort Worth, Texas - an infamous dumping ground for unwanted dogs - when Judy Obregon approached him.

Obregon is locally known as "the dog lady" because she does what so many others can't - she walks around the dumping ground, searching for survivors among the dogs and puppies abandoned there. Some are wounded and bruised, others were likely once used as bait dogs in dogfighting rings, and all have been left to die.

Too often, Obregon - who runs the The Abandoned Ones (TAO), a rescue organization that gives surviving discarded dogs another chance - finds mere carcasses.

And so when she approached another unmoving body this week, she was almost sure it was yet another dead dog.

Dumped dog in Echo Lake Park, Fort Worth, Texas
The Abandoned Ones

But then she saw the dog take a breath. So Obregon immediately rushed him to a local veterinary hospital.

Staffers believed the dog had somehow ingested poison; bags that appeared to contain it were found nearby. The dog, whom rescuers have named Blue, was found just in time.

Dumped dog is brought to the veterinarian for care
The Abandoned Ones

At the vet, Blue was very weak. But with a little care and encouragement, he managed to stand up on his own.

He also managed to eat and drink plenty of water.

In the following days, while Blue gained his strength and underwent some tests, he improved tremendously. He was even able to go on a walk.

And despite all he'd been through, he was in great spirits, happy to sniff around the sidewalk. He was generally all smiles.

"Blue is doing better," Emily Walker, a volunteer with TAO, told The Dodo, explaining that he is currently boarding at the vet hospital so he can remain under supervision.

But he seems like he'll be ready for a foster home soon enough.

Dog rescued from dumping ground
The Abandoned Ones

"We are still looking for a foster for Blue," Walker said. "He is so sweet."

Dog rescued from Echo Lake dumping ground
The Abandoned Ones

"it looks like we have ourselves another survivor from the streets of Echo Lake," TAO wrote.

And what a survivor he is.

To help The Abandoned Ones save dogs like Blue, you can make a donation here. If you're local, find out how to foster one of these dogs.