HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – A Hollywood police officer rescued an injured dog last week after finding him on the side of a street during her shift.
Thanks to the officer's life-saving efforts, the dog is now on the mend.
Officer Freya Hinton found the dog, named Trooper, Jan. 16 near some bushes with his face and legs covered with severe bite marks.
"I lifted him. His legs pretty much keeled underneath him. He had no strength at all," Hinton said. "The dog probably had a couple of hours left inside of him. He had pretty much given up."
Trooper suffered kidney failure because his blood had become septic. His wounds were infected and he was severely dehydrated.
Hinton said she knew it was a race against time to save the dog's life.
"I just saw this dog and I knew that I had to do something," she said. "It was such a young dog and had such a terrible life."
Trooper was set to be euthanized because of his worsening condition, so Hinton contacted several animal advocates, who posted Trooper's plight on Facebook.
Rescue organizations were contacted and a GoFundMe page was created to raise money and get medical care for Trooper.
"Within an hour, we had almost $1,000. By the end of the day, we were up to $2,000," Hinton said.
Trooper is now at Diaz Heart Animal Hospital in Hialeah, where he received emergency care.
"The only thing remaining is the wounds," Dr. Jose Diaz said. "They are healing, the tissues are growing again. He's much better."
Diaz said Trooper's wounds are consistent with bite marks, but it's unclear whether he was used as a bait dog for dog fighting or if he was attacked by a dog on the street.
He'll remain at the vet for at least 10 days to receive round-the-clock care. He is scheduled to have surgery on one of his injuries on Friday.
Click here if you would like to donate to Trooper's medical costs.