TOLEDO, Ohio — A puppy is recovering Friday night after being found near death at Willys Park in Toledo earlier this week. The people credited for saving the dog's life have inspired others to donate thousands of dollars.
David Clark has volunteered to pick up trash in Toledo for 20 years. On Monday, he found Lyric, a 17-pound puppy, while out volunteering.
"We were walking around and I saw what I thought was a broken-up cardboard box, maybe a paper bag, and then it moved," Clark said.
Although the puppy did move, Clark said the odds of her surviving looked almost nonexistent.
"There was this poor dog in just unbelievable condition. She couldn't even lift her head. In fact, her head was just twisted around facing her tail," he said.
He flagged down Jill Cleghorn, who lives near Willys Park. She rushed over and immediately called 911.
"We just called the authorities and let them take over and she's in good hands," Cleghorn said.
The Lucas County Pit Crew has cared for Lyric and said her condition is improving.
"She has made great improvements," Angela Knoblauch, a volunteer with the Lucas County Pit Crew, said of Lyric. "She has gotten to the point now where she has been released from the hospital, she is being cared for by the pit crew, being fed every four hours and she seems to be doing really well."
As of Friday night, $4,500 has been raised on the Lucas County Pit Crew's Facebook page, which will go toward nursing Lyric back to health.
"She needs a good loving home. She needs someone who's going to take good care of her because it's a long road," Cleghorn said.
The Lucas County Pit Crew encourages anyone who sees a dog abandoned or in need to do exactly what Cleghorn did and call for help.