This Dog Was On A Chain So Short He Couldn’t Even Lay His Head Down

With injuries, malnutrition, and a small chain around her neck that prevented her from even laying her head on a heap of rags underneath her, Cala was in abject condition.

She was being employed as a guard dog in Costa Rica by a mechanic, but he wasn’t feeding her well or providing her the care that dogs require.

Cala was having difficulty breathing since she was trying to keep her head up because if she lowered it, she would hang herself with the chain. If she had not been saved, she probably would not be alive today.

Fortunately, the local dog sanctuary in Costa Rica, Territorio de Zaguates, and the police were alerted by the neighbors to Cala’s predicament.

The satuario’s creator, Lya Battle, said:

“I was really depressed and angry.”

Added Lya

“When I first saw her, she was shown as a miserable being devoid of any dignity and ready to give up: a dog whose soul had been crushed and who was waiting for the end while she endured an unending nightmare.”

Rescuers brought Cala to the doctor so she could get help for serious emaciation and mend the chain injuries on her neck. Later, Cala was sent to Territorio de Zuguates to start her healing process on both a physical and emotional level.

Says Lya

In particular, the cut on his neck brought on by years of hanging from a tight metal chain caused him anguish but had not yet done so because of how slowly he was recovering. She experienced the same anguish that we did while taking care of her, but eventually she realized that with her suffering came love and goodies, so she developed champion-level coping skills.

Lya speculates that Cala never interacted with other dogs in her past or that she had been taught to attack them since it was first difficult for her to engage with the other dogs at the sanctuary, but over time, her perspective changed.

Says Lya

“We witnessed Cala’s transformation from a helpless and overly depressed animal to a stronger entity prepared to fight back. As time goes on, we also get to observe how this obstinate creature incorporates fun and snobbery into her daily activities. Every day that went by, we got to know her more. She changed from being afraid of people to believing in them and even ‘bothering’ people to earn their attention.