CUTLER BAY, Fla. – Jingles, a 10-year-old dog who was found in really bad shape inside a dumpster, has proven himself to be a survivor.
After being found, the Shih Tzu is getting help to get back in good health, and hopefully he can get adopted soon.
"He needs to be socialized. He hasn't been kept up," Dr. Sharon McIvor of Dadeland Animal Hospital said.
The day he was found, Jingles was thin, weak and in need of medical care.
"I didn't think he was going to make it in the beginning, but I do have hope now. He shows signs that he really wants to live," said Denice Zager, of Fur Angels Rescue said.
Zager, a foster caregiver, picked up Jingles last week, when he was living in a trash pile outside a Culter Bay home.
"He was in very, very bad condition," Zager said. "He had mats so bad you couldn't see his eyes. He smelled like death."
Jingles was found with a severe heartworm issue, a broken jaw, no teeth and a corneal ulcer in each eye.
"His heart is enlarged," McIvor said, adding that Jingles' condition suggests he lived in an abusive home. "When they shaved him off, he was all skin and bone."
McIvor said that with the right care Jingles still has hope.
"With proper care and guidance, he should recover fully and be placed with a family without children," she said.
Jingles is currently in quarantine at Dadeland Animal Hospital, and he's not alone.
Fur Angels Rescue said there have been more than 20 cases of severe animal neglect in Miami-Dade County this year. The most common reason is the cost associated with owning a pet.
"Pet ownership is not an emotional thing. They're not an accessory," McIvor said. "It's a commitment"
McIvor thinks the cost of Jingle's recovery will be between $500 to $1,500, but Dadeland Animal Hospital is offering half off that treatment price to his next lucky owner.