Star seems like a happy puppy now, but she has seen a lot in her first few months.
The pit bull mix was found severely malnourished late Wednesday inside a home in Malden, Massachusetts. A veteran animal control officer called it one of the worst cases of animal cruelty he has seen.
According to city officials, Malden firefighers and police were originally called to the home when a woman living in one of the units had a medical emergency. Firefighters determined there were elevated levels of carbon dioxide in the home and searched the rest of the house, that is when they found Star, living in a disgusting cage in the basement.
"It was something out of a horror movie," Lisa Cutting, who is caring for Star, said Thursday. "I've seen a lot of different cases, a lot of different stories, a lot of different situations."
Star was rushed to Blue Pearl Pet Hospital in Boston's Charlestown neighborhood, where she is slowly being nursed back to health.
"She is emaciated, she basically has no muscle, no fat stored, she hasn't been fed in a very long time," Dr. Elise Diffie, with Blue Pearl, said Thursday. "I haven't seen a dog that is in this bad of shape, as far as body conditions."
Doctors estimate Star is around 5-6 months old.
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"Seeing something so young and innocent, so broken, you think you have seen the worst of the worst," Cutting said.
Doctors eventually expect Star to make a full recovery, but she is not out of the woods yet.
"Her life is going to be amazing. Her name is Star and she is going to shine like one," Cutting said.