Some stories leave our hearts shattered in a million pieces, and Halia’s is definitely one of them.
This poor doggo girl spent days on her own, waiting for someone to stop by and extend her a friendly hand.
When she was finally noticed by a giant-hearted passerby, Halia was at the lowest point of her life. She was laying in water and trash, and she could barely move. All she needed in these hard moments was some kind words, a little bit of compassion, and a friend.
And, within hours, she got a whole bunch!
Halia’s Heartbreaking Story
Source: Stray Rescue of St. Louis
Donna Lochmann, the long-time rescuer and Chief Life-Saving Officer of Stray Rescue of St. Louis, got a call about Halia, and immediately rushed into action.
Throughout her career, Donna has witnessed many difficult situations, but when she and her team first saw Halia lying in trash, they were completely shocked. Her heart broke instantly, and she felt so sad about this poor girl.
Halia’s back legs were completely paralyzed, and she couldn’t move anything but her head.
Source: Stray Rescue of St. Louis
The team guessed that she was hit by a car, and then she dragged herself as far as she could from the street. She ended up at the nearby bushes, where she was starving until her rescuers showed up.
Donna and her colleagues slowly approached Halia. She was evidently traumatized and scared of people hurting her, so the team made sure to gain her trust first.
After some time, Donna slowly picked her up in a warm blanket and put her in a car.
“You Are So Beautiful, We Love You”
Source: Stray Rescue of St. Louis
The team immediately brought her to the facility, dried her off, and covered her with cozy blankets. She was freezing, her body was trembling, and they wanted to make sure to make her warm.
Then, they gave her a minimum amount of food, as they wanted to avoid the refeeding syndrome.
Right there, in the shelter, is where this beautiful girl got her name – Halia. She reminded everyone of their late dog, Harris, and gave her the name that symbolized the remembrance of a loved person.
Source: Stray Rescue of St. Louis
The Stray Rescue of St. Louis team subjected Halia to a thorough vet examination.
The vet did an X-ray to find out the cause of her paralyzed legs, but they couldn’t quite figure it out. Other than her back wounds, there was no obvious sign of why she had no feeling in her back legs.
The next morning, Halia had enough adrenaline to lift her head up and put on a gentle smile. She suddenly made everyone in the facility optimistic, as it was the first time since her rescue that she seemed better.
Source: Stray Rescue of St. Louis
The team even took her out in the sunshine and gave her a nice ride in a wagon, which she enjoyed very much.
Unfortunately, on the third day, she completely crashed. She couldn’t lift her head anymore, nor could she eat. Her strength was completely gone, and on the same day, Halia lost her life battle.
Her rescuers were heartbroken, but at the same time, they cherished her final moments that they were able to give her.
They even made sure to soothe her at her final moments with the kindest last words, ever, which were: “We are so sorry. You are so beautiful. We love you,” according to the SRSL team.
Halia crossed the rainbow bridge at peace, with her last memory being surrounded by so many friends who truly loved her. Rest in peace, good girl. Your memory will always be preserved in our hearts!