Rescue Dog Gets First Food and Drink After Being Starved and Left to Die

A dog who was rescued after being left to die in a closet has had her first real meal after enduring starvation and dehydration her whole life.

Athena's story began when she was discovered locked in a bedroom closet in an apartment in Tampa, Florida.

"Her owner obviously did not care for Athena at all and left her in that closet to die," Heydi Acuna, the founder of the Mercy Full Project, told Newsweek. "He had options, and everyone has options to safely rehome an animal."

When Athena was rescued by staff from the Mercy Full Project on April 24, she was immediately placed in a foster home where she began her journey to recovery.

Happily, the Mercy Full Project recently shared a video update on TikTok of the dog having her first real meal. In the footage, the skeletal pup is given a bowl of food—with a slow feeder to ensure that she takes it easy—and gets to work right away.

"Omg [Oh my god] this precious baby. And the tail never stops," posted one commenter, while another wrote: "Thank you for helping this poor sweet girl."

Athena is slowly settling in, and her character continues to come out. "She seems like quite a positive character," Acuna said. "We are a foster home-based animal rescue and, hours after she arrived at our facility, she was able to find a cozy foster home to be at, a quiet place to decompress."

In a more recent update, the shelter shared how Athena has since gained 10 pounds and is looking much brighter. "She deserves the spoiled life, wouldn't ya say?" the shelter spokesperson said.

In 2023, 6.5 million animals entered U.S. shelters, according to Shelter Animals Count, up 4 percent when compared to 2022 intakes. At the end of 2023, 117,000 additional dogs and cats were in the animal sheltering system compared to the same time the year before.

Of 2023 shelter intakes, 48 percent were stray; 18 percent were transfers from other shelters; 25 percent were relinquished by owners; and 9 percent fell into an "other" category.

In 2023, the Special Reports Team at Veterinarians.org analyzed data from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's National Incident-Based Reporting System. The study found that there were 16,573 animal-cruelty offenses reported to U.S. law-enforcement agencies in 2021.

Texas saw the most cruelty offenses reported to U.S. law enforcement in 2021, with 16,573 cases reported—significantly higher than the national average of 324 cases.

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