Finding a terrified, malnourished puppy in the middle of nowhere is a nightmare for any dog lover, especially if it’s a helpless puppy that still has no idea how to take care of himself.

A pittie named Hank was abandoned in the woods at just eight months of age. I’m not sure whether his owners tried to clear their consciousness by leaving Hank with his belongings and an unsealed food bag (that he couldn’t open by himself), but they failed either way.

However, thanks to the good people who still exist in this world, Hank’s story has a happy ending.

Hank, The Living Dog Statue

A Good Samaritan accidentally came across a puppy in a local forest in Florida. The doggo was sitting still on his dog bed, without making any kind of movement, even when the unknown rescuer came closer to him.

The man noticed a bag of dog food next to the pup and some toys, which his previous owners must have left with him. However, the bag was unopened, and it was practically impossible for the dog to open it by himself.

What worried the rescuer the most was that the pooch was completely unresponsive to any type of communication – he was just sitting there like a real living statue.

Although the man had no idea where the pup came from or who left him there, there was one thing he knew by the look on the poor pup’s face – his heart was shattered into pieces.

Considering the state of the dog and his unresponsiveness, the man decided not to move him, but called a local animal shelter to pick him up instead.

A Ray Of Hope

After two weeks in the woods, Hank finally received help from the shelter staff who immediately responded to the call.

They approached him with caution, as they feared Hank might become hostile towards humans because of the situation he was in. However, as soon as they got to him, Hank showed nothing but gratitude and affection towards his saviors.

Rosa Fond, the owner of Humans and Animals United, told The Dodo that Hank was one of the cutest and most loving dogs they had ever seen, which is why he soon got under the skin of all the staff at the shelter.

He knew that the hoomans who approached him were there to rescue him, which is why he tried to show how thankful he was for their act of kindness.

The ‘Living Statue’ Mystery Solved

After a vet examination, it was finally clear why the pup wasn’t moving when the Good Samaritan and shelter staff approached him – he had a broken leg.

The vet believed that the leg injury was at least two weeks old, which means that he might have gotten it even before he was abandoned. There were no other visible signs of violence, so it’s not clear whether the dog was abused before being left in the forest.

One thing was sure – Hank needed leg surgery as soon as possible, and Fond didn’t think twice about covering all the costs of the treatment.

But, Hank wasn’t a good candidate for the surgery, as he was malnourished, so they had to wait a bit more until he gained some weight.

In the meantime, the doggo received lots of hugs, kisses, and cuddles from the vet staff who just couldn’t get enough of him.

After the surgery, Hank was placed into a foster home where he’s spending the best days of his life.

Although there were a lot of inquiries regarding the adoption of this wonderful doggo, Fond thinks it would be better for him to completely recover before being placed into a new family.

“He’s gonna have a little bit of a journey to go through before he’s fully adoptable […] But, he’s safe now and he’ll never, ever be hurt again.”