'You see those eyes and you melt'

Two weeks ago, little Joey was so sick his caregivers couldn't determine the puppy's breed.

They thought he might be a shar-pei, because of the wrinkles around his paws and face, but later realized the roughly 5-month-old black dog with the soulful eyes was badly wrinkled because of severe swelling.

Found tied to a pole in Berlin during a cold snap, he was suffering from such a severe case of itchy mange that the blanket rescuers wrapped him in stuck to his wounds.

His little eyes were swollen shut. He was so weak he could barely lift his head, and had to be hand-fed and carried outdoors to relieve himself.

"He was a bloody mess when he came in," said Meggin McKnight, canine caretaker at the Worcester County Humane Society, where the puppy has been nursed.

"He would sleep all day and barely pick his head up. It seemed like slow-going but it was like overnight that he came around. Now he's growing. He loves to play. He likes tug-of-war. You see those eyes and you melt," she said.

McKnight dubbed him Joey because he reminded her of helpless baby kangaroos who are born blind and only a few centimeters long.

"We all took turns hand-feeding him. When he came in he was starving. You could see all the bones in his back and around his ribs. Now he's all plump," she said, smiling.

"The first day his eyes were open and he was yapping I looked at him and said, 'Get outta town. Look at you.' His tail was wagging," she said, laughing.

The puppy was spotted by a good-hearted passer-by who rushed him to the Humane Society. The former owners are not known, but their cruelty certainly put Joey's life at risk.

"He is one amazing little creature," McKnight said. "His strength and resilience is nothing short of a miracle. ... We were devastated and shocked at his condition when we first laid eyes on him. It was the worst case of noncontagious, treatable mange we had ever seen and a clear case of neglect and abuse."

Sick as he was, he wasn't irritable about being medicated or bathed.

"He was a real trooper. We are all so relieved and proud of him. Despite this horrible ordeal, he has developed into a sweet endearing little puppy that showers us with kisses. He has his appetite back and is growing like a weed," she said.

He will be a healthy dog. Other than mange, he was in good condition with a strong heart, his veterinarian said. Even though he didn't have early proper nutrition, he's developing mentally, knows his name and looks up when he's called.

It appears Joey is a Labrador retriever or mastiff. His fur hasn't grown thick yet but the little he has is black.

"Even without fur, we think he is the most beautiful boy in the world. He is so loyal. He'll follow me everywhere I go. He tries to crawl up my leg," said McKnight, who's fashioning a scrapbook of his improvement and growth for the family who eventually welcomes him into a safe home.

And that won't be a simple adoption; applicants will be interviewed thoroughly.

The Humane Society prohibits adoptions beginning Christmas week until a few days after the holiday, to be certain owners are serious about committing to the care of a new pet, not just caught up in the holiday excitement and a cute puppy or kitten.

A positive light surrounds Joey's early misfortune so close to Christmas.

"It just makes you realize if you put your heart and soul into something, it all works out. The gratitude he shows us, how much he loves you, makes it all worthwhile," McKnight said.

"He brought us all together as a team. We all took turns feeding him a combination of baby food and puppy chow. It kind of made us realize how much we all depend on each other," she said.