Rescue Paws Curacao Foundation, an animal rescue organization, received a call about a little black dog who was found living under a container on a big lot near Sambil, limping around on three legs.

The town had plans to build an amusement park on the lot of land that the dog was living on, so the rescue team knew they had to save him as soon as possible before he no longer had a safe place to hide.

Rescuers brought him food every day to gain his trust, and they decided to name him Sammy. Sammy was very reluctant to come near rescuers. He would make sure the coast was clear before he came out to grab the food.

Although he only had three legs, he was extremely fast. When rescuers got too close, he ran away through a hole in the fence into the bushes. But rescuers refused to give up. They returned the next day, and luckily saw Sammy in his usual spot, hiding under the container.

This time, rescuers covered the hole in the fence so he wouldn’t be able to escape. It took some chasing, but they were finally able to get ahold of Sammy. This was the closest they had gotten to Sammy so far. They took a look at his defected leg, and realized that it wasn’t fully grown as a result of a birth defect. They believe this could be the reason he was dumped.

Rescuers brought him back to their clinic where they gave him a warm bath and proper medication. From there, he went to live with a foster. When he first arrived at his foster home, he was still very scared. He stayed in one spot and wouldn’t move, and would cringe when people approached him.

As the days and weeks went on, Sammy began showing interest in his surroundings. He kept a close eye on the other dogs in his foster home. He saw all of the love and cuddles they were getting and realized that it wasn’t so bad after all.

He finally let his fosters pet him for the first time. Then it was time for a vet visit. After that, he seemed like a whole different dog. He finally trusted his fosters and knew they were there to help him, not hurt him. He stopped going into hiding when people came over, and he joined the family on the couch.

When they brought home some puppies to foster, Sammy was ecstatic. He ran around and played with them in the backyard. They definitely helped him break out of his shell even more. Months have passed since Sammy joined his foster, and he has become quite a family dog. He has even become best friends with their dog, Spike. They do everything together and are completely inseparable.

With a little bit of extra care and a lot of love, Sammy has transformed from a “frightened and traumatized little dog to a beautiful, sweet and playful companion for life,” his foster says.