YORK COUNTY, Pa. — A puppy that police say was almost beaten to death is on the road to recovery.
“He’s mobile, he’s eating, he’s happy, his tail is starting to wag," said Steven Martinez, executive director of the York County SPCA.
Less than one week after he was found by police in York, the German Shepherd, now named "Chance," is in the hands of the SPCA.
“This is a positive success story because a lot of people came together and did all the right things together on behalf of Chance," said Martinez.
On August 23, York City Police were called to the 400 block of South Pershing Avenue, where they found Chance bloody and unconscious—the victim of a vicious beating with a stick.
He was taken to Mason Dixon Animal Emergency Hospital in Shrewsbury Township, where he was stabilized and his recovery began.
Vets there also gave him the name of “Chance"—an ode to the second chance he’s getting at life.
On Monday, he was released back to the SPCA.
“Chance is doing phenomenal," said Martinez. "It’s incredible to see how resilient dogs are.”
Martinez is optimistic Chance will make a full recovery, but says he still has a long way to go.
“He’s got a lot of swelling, he’s got some fractured limbs, we need to put some weight on him," he explained.
The York County SPCA has been inundated with requests to adopt Chance.
According to Martinez, adoption of any pet at the SPCA is first come, first serve. But if an individual wants to better their chances, they can go online and submit an SPCA adoption application to get pre-approved.
“Our adoption policy is first come, first serve so people have to get their applications approved and once they’re approved and they see an animal they want to adopt, they can immediately adopt that animal," said Martinez.
Through the application process, the SPCA will help make sure Chance is placed in a family whose lifestyle matches him well.
“It’s just been neat to see all these pieces, community pieces come together to do right by Chance," said Martinez.
FOX43 reached out to Captain Daniel Lentz with the York City Police Department who said that officers do have a person of interest, but that no arrests have been made at this time.
According to Lentz, officers are urging witnesses to come forward to help with the investigation.
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