Rory is a chow on the mend but just a few weeks ago, it was unclear what he even was.

"He was very emaciated," said Amanda Connolly, a volunteer at East C.A.N. the
organization that rescued Rory.  "He had no hair, he looked like a lion.
 Some people were not even sure if he was a dog.  Someone posted
somewhere that they thought he was a hyena or something."

Rory had been spotted roaming the streets aimlessly for the last few months.

"No tags, no microchip, nothing to identify him by," said Samantha Nolting, another East C.A.N. volunteer.

For months, no one was able to capture him until Tuesday when East C.A.N. volunteers were finally able pick him up off the streets.

"We
took him straight to the emergency vet," Nolting said.  "The emergency
vet has been able to tell to say he has heart worms.  There's obviously a
lot of skin issues which we haven't diagnosed fully yet.  Most likely
he's missing an eye."

East C.A.N. volunteers say Rory still has a long road to recovery but that he wouldn't be where he is today without the support of the community.

"People
banded together," Nolting said.  "They paid the vet bill for the first
night and we had a chip-in set up.  A lot of money has come in from all
over the country."

East C.A.N. says, concerned animal lovers have donated more than $1,700
to help rehabilitate Rory and no donation was more touching than the
five dollars and change from a little girl, with a note that simply
read, "save the dog."

"We've seen with this people from all over
the place," Connolly said.  "People from around the country who are just
thrilled that we are going to be able to do something to get this guy a
better life."

Rory still has a number of vet visits and tests to
see if he'll be able to be adopted.  You can learn more about him by
visiting East C.A.N.’s Facebook page.

You can find a link to it in the Fox Links section of this website.Mystery Mutt Gets Second Shot at Life - Eric Alvarez