Wednesday 22 June 2022 06:02 PM Abandoned Shih Tzu found at Boca Raton dumpster is on the road to recovery ... trends now
She was neglected for years and tossed away like 'old garbage', but Parker the rescued Shih Tzu is battling back to health – and enjoying her first ever hugs.
The tiny dog was found caked in filth and maggots earlier this month after her cruel owner threw her over the fence into an animal shelter in Boca Raton, Florida.
Staff at Tri-County Animal Rescue rallied to save the distraught pooch, carefully cutting away the more than two pounds of hair 'cemented' to her body and treating numerous wounds and sores.
She's had to undergo surgeries to remove her uterus and one of her eyes but DailyMail.com can reveal that six-year-old Parker is slowly but surely recovering from her former life of abuse and mistreatment.
Parker the Shih Tzu made headlines earlier this month after she was found on the brink of death, and covered in maggots and filth. The adorable pooch is now on the road to recovery
The six-year-old pup was rescued by the Tri-County animal shelter on June 8 and underwent surgeries to remove her uterus and one of her eyes. Vets also found mammary tumors that are now being tested
Parker's health has improved significantly since, and she can now eat and walk on her own, and responds positively to human touch
Shelter workers described Parker's condition as 'the worst' they've seen in 27 years. She is seen above after being found by a dumpster near the shelter
And as these heartwarming images show, the brave canine is also bonding with her doting rescuers, who are now able to gently hold and hug Parker for the first time as she finally receives the love she deserves.
'We see our fair share of abuse but the state that Parker was in was the worst that I've seen in 27 years,' said Suzi Goldsmith, who founded Tri-County Animal Rescue nearly three decades ago.
'Thankfully Parker is a remarkably courageous, strong animal who wanted another shot at life and that's why she is alive today. She never had any human contact, she's never been touched or loved until now. I'm thrilled with her progress.'
Parker was unchipped and without a collar when a volunteer arrived at 4am on June 8 to walk some of the shelter's dogs and heard an animal howling out in pain.
The Shih Tzu was found cowering beside a dumpster and had either been tossed over the fence or abandoned elsewhere in the property before crawling to the spot where she was located.
Staff gave her a unisex name as they couldn't initially tell whether she was male or female because the entire underside of her body was enveloped in matted, urine-soaked hair.
They couldn't even tell if all of Parker's limbs were intact because her nails had grown so long they were corkscrewed around her paws.
The shelter's veterinary team took more than three hours to painstakingly shave the dirt and matted hair from Parker's skin and treat her sores which were riddled with maggots
Parker, who was found unchipped and without a collar, was given a unisex name since staff couldn't initially tell whether she was male or female because the entire underside of her body was enveloped in matted, urine-soaked hair
A shelter volunteer found the abandoned dog by this dumpster in the early morning hours of June 8 after hearing an animal howl out in pain
'The matting was so severe that we didn't know where her legs began. Her tail was attached to her legs. We couldn't even assess whether she had feet,' explained the shelter's hospital director, Dianna Otero.
'Imagine every hair on your body being pulled out at the same time. It was constant torture for her. And this is not something that happens in five minutes or even over a year - she lived like this.
'We are just lucky someone found her in the morning hours, it's been so hot she could have fried outside. We're in
