A woman who found a sick and injured Chihuahua abandoned in a bush has now adopted him—and says she can’t imagine life without him.
Marley De Paola, 27, from the West Midlands, in the U.K., discovered the dog, later named Frankie, 7, hidden in a carrier by a canal. Sharing the heartbreaking moment on TikTok (@marley.dp), her video documenting his rescue and recovery has since garnered over 46,400 likes and more than 242,100 views.
“He was in an awful state; he was covered in blood and had a gash on his eye. He was skinny, smelly and shivering,” De Paola told Newsweek.
She immediately brought Frankie to a local shelter, where he was treated as an abandoned pet. De Paola said the dog was urgently seen by a vet, who scanned him and attempted to contact his previous owners by phone and mail. However, they never responded or came forward to claim him.
Frankie was placed in quarantine for two weeks. As soon as he was released, De Paola went to see him and reserved him for adoption straight away.
De Paola said that little is known about Frankie’s background, apart from the fact he is approximately 7 years old and had lived locally. When found, he had not been neutered and showed signs of severe neglect. He was infested with fleas and had suffered blunt-force head trauma.
Since moving into his new home, Frankie has had ongoing health issues, including a seizure that led to vet visits, blood tests, and scans. It was confirmed he has liver disease and was placed on supplements. When the seizures persisted, Frankie underwent an MRI and further testing, which revealed epilepsy and spinal arthritis—conditions that require lifelong medication.
Despite this, De Paola said that Frankie is thriving. He has settled well into her home, gets along with her cat, and has become increasingly affectionate and protective.
“He was nervous at first, but he is surprisingly very trusting and loving—he doesn’t like other dogs very much and is extremely protective over me, especially when people come to the house or knock the door. Overall, he is just the most-perfect, loving, funny little dog and I can’t remember life without him,” she said.
Viewers on TikTok were moved by Frankie’s journey and flooded the comments with support.
“There’s a special place in heaven for people like you!” wrote Yazmine.
“Makes me so sick how someone can treat their dog like that! He’s such a special boy and he’s going to spend the rest of his life knowing only love!” shared another user.
“As a Chihuahua mom, thank you for saving that baby. It baffles me how anyone could ever hurt such tiny innocent beings,” added Alondra.
“Bless you for taking him and loving him. I just lost my 4 yr old Chihuahua to illness and I could never imagine how much Frankie was in pain, sad and lonely. Bless you and bless Frankie with a long life of loves,” commented another viewer.
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