Dog Lovers Come to Aid of Stray Mutt Bludgeoned and Left for Dead

A stray dog in Moses Lake, Wash. overcame incredible odds after being hit by a car, bludgeoned and left for dead—and now well-wishers have paid for much-needed surgery thanks to a crowdfunded campaign.

Theia, a bully breed mix, was believed to be hit in the head and left in a ditch as a “mercy killing” after her car accident, but wandered away hungry and covered in dirt, with injuries to her jaw, legs and sinus cavities. She has been temporarily taken in by Sara Mellado, whose friend posted about the dog on Facebook, and who brought Theia to the veterinary teaching hospital at Washington State University (WSU) in Pullman for treatment.

Charlie Powell, the public information officer at WSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine, calls the injuries to her head “very consistent with wounds that we see when people try to humanely euthanize a dog—they will routinely miss the brain and hit the sinuses.” Unable to breathe through her nose, she struggles to keep her mouth open when she puts her head down to sleep and needs surgery to fix her nasal passage.

Mellado started a GoFundMe campaign to pay for the surgery that has raised nearly $24,000 as Friday afternoon, more than double the needed amount. Powell says Mellado will donate the excess to the hospital’s Good Samaritan Fund, which paid for the dog’s initial treatment.

Theia will get her operation at WSU on April 21, and if all goes well, she’ll hopefully find a new, loving home after that. Powell says there has been a “tremendous outpouring of people who want to adopt this dog.”