Rescued puppy named Hamlin making steady recovery at Beaver County Humane Society
ALIQUIPPA (KDKA) -- A little puppy found malnourished and alone in the woods of Beaver County is making slow and steady progress in his recovery, but Beaver County Humane Society officials say they may never know how he ended up in such an extreme situation.
Citing his will to live, shelter officials found it fitting to name the little pup Hamlin, in honor of McKees Rock native and Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin.
"In the last couple of weeks, we have witnessed a miraculous recovery by W. PA. native Damar Hamlin," the shelter said in a Facebook post. "Because of this puppy's will to live, his giving (or should we say forgiving nature) and a story that brought many, many people together, we found it fitting to name him Hamlin."
Since then, his story has gone viral on social media.
Hamlin, just 4-months-old, was found in a wooded area of Beaver Falls on Jan. 19. He was hypothermic, anemic, and malnourished, the shelter said.
"He was just completely drenched from the rain," Cailin Rankin, the Beaver County Humane Society shelter manager, said. "He couldn't even lift his head to look at me. I immediately got our medical team because I thought something worse is wrong. We realized he wasn't hit by a car or have any broken limbs, but he was so malnourished and so hypothermic that he couldn't do anything else. He was just looking at us, waiting for someone to intervene and help him."
Since being rescued, Hamlin has needed a blood transfusion and treatment for infections of injuries on his legs.
But through it all, Hamlin's been a trooper and melting hearts everywhere he goes.
"He's gained about a pound in 11 days, which is good. That's not gaining too fast or too slow," Rankin said. "Now he's wagging his tail, he's playing with us, he's giving everyone kisses and napping on just about anyone's lap that he can sucker into a cuddle. We're just trying to keep him on that steady progression where he's going to keep improving."
Hamlin will eventually be up for adoption, and they have already gotten plenty of requests for him; but in the meantime, he's being fostered by the shelter's associate director.
"He's enjoying being spoiled by her," Rankin said. "She's got some dogs that he lives with now and he gets to have some companion time with some canines."
The shelter is offering a $2,000 reward for information on how Hamlin ended up in such poor condition in the woods. Donations from the public have helped their humane investigators continue to look into the case, Rankin said.
However, they may never find out what happened to Hamlin.
"The hardest part with situations like this is not knowing if we can figure out why he came to be in that situation," Rankin said. "Having support from our community is the only way we can help [dogs like Hamlin]. And it makes us feel good knowing we can provide him with everything that he needs."
Hamlin still needs a lot of care, but if you're looking to adopt a pet now, local shelters like Beaver County Humane Society have plenty of animals looking for homes.
One that's been waiting quite a while at their shelter is Mia the husky.
She lost one eye because of an abusive situation, but Mia doesn't let that get her down. Rankin said she's a shelter favorite and is super spunky.
Anyone interested in adopting the 3-year-old pup should be ready for lots of husky energy and strength. For more information on her, click here.
Find more adoptable animals at the Beaver County Humane Society here.
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