ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, N.C. (WNCN) — A dog once at the center of an animal cruelty case is up for adoption in North Carolina.
Hemi was found about eight months ago in Rockingham County. Now Triangle Beagle Rescue is helping her find her forever home.
Whether playing with toys or perched on the back of the couch, Hemi lives a comfortable life at her foster home in Durham.
Life wasn’t always so comfortable for the pup, however. Police say they found her outside a Rockingham County home last June.
According to a police report, a brown and black dog was chained to a stake. “The chain was embedded in the dog’s neck” and had to be cut off with bolt cutters.
Police say a woman who lived in the home told officers the dog had been chained for about four months.
Staff at the Rockingham County Animal Shelter, which took Hemi in, described her wound as “gruesome” and said they could see “several layers of skin and muscle once the chain was removed.”
She’s come a long way.
“Hemi seems to be incredibly resilient,” said Triangle Beagle Rescue volunteer Brook Terran. “She spent the past few months getting healthy and looks like she’s made a full recovery.”
The shelter says Hemi stayed there for months, becoming a favorite among staff.
Volunteers say she doesn’t seem to show any long-term effects from what happened. “It seems to have just rolled right off her in a way that you just have to be grateful for. It doesn’t seem to have stuck with her, and she’s just this happy-go-lucky dog,” said Terran.
If you’d like to find out more about Hemi, you can click here.