After a dog was rescued from a startling case of animal cruelty, the ANNA Shelter is now nursing the malnourished dog back to health.

An abandoned dog, now named Hope, was found in an empty apartment inside a wire cage. A caller informed the shelter to voice their concerns.

Ruth Thompson, the founder of the ANNA Shelter, said they are investigating this incident as Hope had been neglected and starved.

Hope underwent emergency medical care and was fed a small amount of prescription food. Thompson said initially Hope didn’t have the strength to even stand up.

“She had spent weeks in that crate that she had obviously been trying to get out of. So not only injuries to herself trying to get out of that crate, but she has completely destroyed the plastic of the crate trying to dig her way out. She’s a small breed dog, probably some kind of a terrier mix. She probably should be about 25 pounds, she’s 11 pounds.” said Thompson.

Thompson added she and the vets are trying to be optimistic about Hope surviving, however, she has a long recovery ahead of her.