Dogs found near death are making a remarkable recovery - 13abc.com Toledo (OH) News, Weather and Sports

A disturbing case of animal cruelty. Two dogs found near death are making a remarkable recovery thanks to the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office and a local rescue group.

They are both severely underweight, tipping the scales at less than half of what they should weigh. At first rescuers weren't sure if they were going to make it, but they have made incredible progress in a matter of days.

It's hard to imagine the two dogs we met at Ottawa park, were near death just a week ago. Jessie and Will are both pit bulls . They were rescued separately, but both were in the same horrible condition. Jean Keating from the Lucas County Pit Crew rescue group says they were basically skeletons, "They're in horrific shape. The veterinarian gave them a body score of less than one, which means they were on the brink of death."

The two dogs were brought to the Lucas County Dog Warden's Office and Pit Crew volunteers have been taking care of them since last Friday, "We went to pick up Jessie and when they showed me Will he could not stand. He had to be lifted to get on his feet, but you could see his tail wagging, despite everything he had been through, his tail was wagging."

Steven Campbell and his wife have been taking care of Jessie,"She was 34 pounds when she was weighed the first time. She looked like a skeleton and its been a slow process of feeding her, you can only do so much at a time. We just weighed her today and she's up to 47 pounds, it's amazing."

Will was named in honor of his will to live and he's also made remarkable progress thanks to round the clock care from Angela Schultz, "When I first brought him home he couldn't even lift his head so essentially we had to hold him up to get him to eat. As of yesterday, we saw a big change in his demeanor and his personality.There is now a brightness in his eyes."

Everyone wants answers about how these dogs ended up in this shape. Keating is convinced someone has those answers, "Someone knows whose dogs these were and someone needs to come forward because this was intentional. It is horrifically cruel to allow this to happen to a living being."

If you have any information about the dogs or their owners, please call the Toledo Area Humane Society cruelty division at 419-891-0705. Once they are fully recovered, they will both be up for adoption through the Pit Crew, but that is likely still a month or so away.