A puppy is recovering after being found tied to a tree in Zebulon. The Wake County SPCA said the pooch had chemical burns and that there were maggots in his ears.

The woman who found him named him Nash. He’s a calm canine who seems to love people and is doing quite well.

Nash is deaf. It’s not clear if the maggots caused his deafness.

It’s a far cry from how Nash was doing last week when he was found. A woman in Zebulon heard Nash barking and found him tied to a tree near a muddy swamp.

Nash struggled trying to free himself. The rope tied around his neck had cut into his skin. Nash also had chemical burns on his ear and backside, and maggots were found in his ears.

The SPCA of Wake County was notified. They helped treat Nash, and now he has a family caring for him.

“Most puppies we get are just wild,” said foster dad Mark Aubut. “They love to play, do puppy things. This guy is pretty mellow. He does get up and run around and play quite a bit, but he’s a great lap dog. He likes to just cuddle and be close to people.”