Stray dogs, fighting to survive on the streets, are so tough to see. Dogs are lost without someone to love them.
Some find a pack of other dogs to run with and have some chance of survival but it’s still not easy.
In the Argentinian capital of Buenos Aires there is a problem with stray dogs. All cities have stray dogs but there is a particularly high number in this city.
One of these dogs, the tiny and starving Hercules, was crying for help on the streets.
He felt like his life was crushed, and no one was ready to help him.
But one beautiful woman named Pia changed his life completely.
On December 23, 2017, an animal rescuer named Pia received a call from a friend.
Pia’s friend had seen a stray dog running around near her home in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
When she found him he was skin and bones and lying on the ground, with no fur and no sparkle in his eyes.
The neglected pup was scared and weak. In fact, the dog was skeletal, and he was so malnourished he couldn’t stand up.
“I cried because I couldn’t believe no one had helped him,” said Pia, according to The Dodo.
Pia took him to the vet but didn’t think he would make it through the night.
The vet told Pia to wait a couple of days and see how he was. He needed round-the-clock care.
It would be a tough journey for both of them. For the next two days he couldn’t eat and lost even more weight.
He couldn’t walk because he’d lost the muscle in his legs. Pia was worried and not sure he would survive through the night, but stayed with him.
He fought for his life and didn’t give up. Pia called him Hercules.
Although Pia tried to make the poor pup eat some food, he ate nothing in the first few days.
He lost a few more pounds, and this scared Pia even more.
She thought all hope was lost…
But then he started to eat and fought so hard to stand up. He wanted to live.
He began to fight, like a true Herculean and found the strength to carry on. Eventually he stood up on his own!
It was after this that things started to really change for the better.
Hercules began running around Pia’s house, the sparkle returned to his eyes, he got stronger and his fur grew back.
By February 2018, he looked like a whole new dog and this is Hercules today!
Hardly recognizable from the state he was in when Pia found him. But with love and devotion, he was brought back to life.
Even though nobody else cared for the pup, Pia didn’t give up or lose hope in him. Thanks to a loving mom he has got his life back.
Pia says Hercules is a very cuddly dog, as if he’s saying thank you to her. When he was ready to be adopted, Pia just couldn’t bring herself to give him up, she had to keep him.
Since adopting Hercules, their bond has grown even stronger. It’s amazing to see how happy and healthy Hercules looks!
If you want to see more cute photos of Hercules, check out his Instagram page.
Such a wonderful story, it brought tears to my eyes! Hercules was a great Christmas gift because he was rescued just a few days to the Christmas.
SHARE this story to pay tribute to this angel and animal hero, Pia! THANK YOU for being you! 
