A Waikato puppy has been rescued after being found starving and with a broken leg - which his owners did nothing about.
The pup was originally found by an animal control officer after a call about a dog being hit by a car in Huntly last week.
But when his owners still hadn't taken him to the vet several days later, two officers came back and seized him.
The dog was picked up by rescue group Paws 4 Life after his owners surrendered him and he was immediately taken to the vet and given a new name, Kevin.
His leg was badly broken and he was starving, Paws 4 Life founder Rachael Maher told Newshub.
"He wasn't just thin, he was emaciated," she said.
"[It would have taken] a really long time. That doesn't just happen over a couple of weeks of missed meals, and that broken leg may have been there for longer than a few days because when the vet went in to remove it, it was a real mess."
Ms Maher also suspects he was abused by his former owners.
"He wouldn't interact with people - he wanted to, the tail was going, he wanted to, but it's almost as if he didn't have permission to do that, and he knew that," she said.
"He wouldn't even eat... He was so shut down and it was almost like even if you gave him permission to eat, he still didn't trust the process."
Only SPCA or police officers can prosecute in a case like this, but Ms Maher said it probably wouldn't work out in Kevin's situation anyway.
"This is such a common occurrence; prosecutions don't get lodged for this kind of stuff."
He's since had the injured leg amputated and is already a more cheerful pup, Ms Maher said.
To make things even better, Kevin's set to go to a new home this weekend.
"We've had lots of people wanting to adopt him and we've found the perfect home for him, so he'll go and rest and recover in his new home," Ms Maher said.
"The community constantly surprises me with how generous they are."
And Kevin's new life is already off to a good start - people have already donated toys, treats and jackets for him.
"It's quite easy to save a life - many hands make light work," Ms Maher said.
"He had no hope. It's kind of fortunate he did have a broken leg, he was hit by a car, and animal control did find him."
Newshub.
