They rescued a dying Husky so starved he couldn’t open his eyes. He is unrecognizable just a month later.

By the second week, Jake had moved into a foster home, where his personality truly began to shine.

PUBLISHED 3 HOURS AGO

(L) A weak husky at the vet clinic getting treatment. (R) A husky pet dog playing with a ball. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | (L) koldo studio, (R) Olga Berezhna)

A second chance is all it takes to change a life, especially for animals who have been through the worst. In a story shared by The Dodo in 2023, a YouTube video documented the dramatic rescue and recovery of a severely malnourished Husky found in a backyard in Cleveland, Texas. The emotional journey, captured in a series of clips, follows the dog from near death to a joyful, energetic life just a month later.

Husky resting on the ground. (Representative Image Source: Pixabay | badamczak80)

The dog, later named Jake, was discovered by local homeowners who saw him collapse in their backyard. Laura, a rescuer from This Is Houston, rushed to the scene after being tagged in a social media post. “The homeowners saw him collapse in their backyard,” she said in the video. “I went to feel him to make sure he was still alive.” When Laura arrived, Jake could barely lift his head. “We are going to get you some help, okay? You’ve got to hang in there,” she gently told him. Getting Jake to the nearest emergency vet clinic, over an hour away, became a race against time. “It was the longest hour ever,” Laura said. “I just kept looking over to make sure that he was breathing.”

Woman playing with a husky | (Image Source: Pexels | Kaboompics.com) — Woman playing with a husky. | (Representative Image Source: Pexels | Kaboompics.com)

At the vet, Jake began his long recovery. In the early days, his condition was critical. “His eyes were totally sunken in. You couldn’t even see them,” Laura recalled. “I think it took about a week for him to open his eyes, and we realized they were blue, bright blue.” Slowly, Jake started responding to treatment. Tom, another caretaker, added, “It took a while just for him to get to where he could get up. We had to be on a real strict regimen on how much he eats and how often.” Despite everything, Jake remained positive. “As much pain as he was in, he still had a good attitude, and he still wanted to go. He still wanted to play.”

Cover Image Source: (Pexels | Yaroslav Shuraev) — A woman playing with her pet dog. (Representative Image Source: (Pexels | Yaroslav Shuraev)

By the second week, Jake had moved into a foster home, where his personality truly began to shine. “Even if he’s just sitting there, you can tell he’s loving life,” Tom said. “He’s just happy to be alive.” Laura added that Jake slowly warmed up to toys. “At first, he wasn’t interested in toys, but it took a week or two, and then he started constantly playing with them. ‘You want to play tug?’” she laughed.

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One month after his rescue, Jake looked like a completely different dog. His fur had grown back, and his energy seemed endless. “You could just spend hours with him in the backyard tossing balls, and he would never get tired,” Laura shared. Jake was later adopted by a loving couple. “We do have another dog, Jasper, who is not the warmest, but after maybe a week or two, they were best pals,” they said. “He’s a big goofball. I think the reason that he enjoys everything he does is because he knows what it’s like to be without it.”

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