By Associated Press - Saturday, May 24, 2014

SANDY, Utah (AP) - A 5-month-old puppy found near death after being abandoned in a trash bag in northern Utah has a new lease on life.

Ethan Cox of Sandy took the male chocolate lab mix dog home from an animal hospital on Friday, nine days after discovering it close to a canal near Roosevelt, located 140 miles southeast of Salt Lake City.

Cox was surveying land when he noticed a paw sticking out of the plastic bag. “Then I noticed the bag breathed,” he told KUTV-TV (https://bit.ly/1hkSDto ), adding he found the dog covered in its own filth.

The pup, named Chance, no longer looks how he did on May 14 when Cox rushed him to Mountain View Animal Hospital in the Salt Lake City suburb of Sandy. The dog was emaciated, and had a swollen head and eyes.

“It’s been a miracle, a blessing,” Cox said.

Dr. Kanda Hazelwood, a veterinarian at the hospital, said the dog was clearly abused. The swollen head was the result of blunt force trauma, she said, and the eyes were swollen shut due to an infection.

“My initial thought was, ’Is this puppy alive?’” she said, adding it was the worst case of animal abuse she had seen.

She put the dog on antibiotics and food, and the staff showered him with love and care. He has since put on weight and can walk.

Hazelwood said the puppy will have some slight disabilities but should do well with therapy. The only physical trace of his past life is a scar on the top of his head.

“We couldn’t be happier,” she said. “We’ve gotten to love that little guy.”

Cox said he would give the puppy a loving home. He thanked Hazelwood for her care and the public for making donations to pay for his hospital bills.

“The love and support he’s gotten from everybody is the reason he’s recovered at the rate that he has,” he told KUTV.

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Information from: KUTV-TV, https://www.kutv.com/

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