Emaciated Dog Found Tied To A Tree In The Forest, Left Alone To Starve

Jun 08, 2019

A very sad video has just gone viral. Titled "Ciclistas rescatan a un perro atado en el monte" or "Cyclists rescue a dog tied in the woods," the four-minute video was posted to the Facebook page of a Portuguese animal rescue organization. It quickly spread through social media.

In the video, a group of cyclists in Portugal make a startling discovery during a morning ride. They're heading through the woods when they notice a dog tied to a tree.

The poor dog is dirty, skinny and obviously scared out of his mind. He's tied to the tree by a rope around his neck, and the bonds are so tight that he can't even sit or lay down. It's obvious that someone has left him to die in a cruel and unusual way.

The cyclists are horrified by the situation, but they approach the terrified pooch with patience. They hold out their hands and let him sniff, and when he begins to trust them, they move on to slowly petting his head and back.

The cyclists have some food with them, and they break it up in their hands and offer it to the dog in small bites. The dog is initially too frightened to take it, but the cyclists continue to soothe him, and he accepts the food after a minute or so.

Their next step is freeing him from the tree. While he's distracted by the food, one of the cyclists comes up behind him and saws the rope from the tree. Wisely, he doesn't try to cut the rope from the dog's neck; he knows that the traumatized dog might snap at him.

The video ends with the freed dog sniffing around the dirt and looking for more food. It isn't known what the cyclists did after that, but considering that their video wound up with an animal rescue shelter, it's safe to assume that the dog had a happy ending.

People on social media, however, were incensed that the rescue was necessary in the first place. 

"It takes a very bad person to leave a defenseless animal like that, with a rope that would not allow him to lie down," a Facebook user said in a translated statement.

Do you agree with their assessment? What would you have done in this situation? Sound off in the comments!