Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

Frightened Dog Found Abandoned Near River With 13lb Anchor Tied To His Neck

It is my firm belief that you have to be one of the cruelest, most cold-hearted and uncaring people in the world to ever harm a dog.

Unfortunately, there are indeed people out there whose black hearts see no issue in abusing dogs, and it's those kinds of people who reaffirm my other belief that we truly don't deserve these animals.

One woman in Lithuania discovered just how monstrous some humans can be when she discovered a dog abandoned on the side of the road.

Audra Petraškienė was driving along the river one day when she noticed something strange.

Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

There, on the side of the road, was a black and white dog, sopping wet and all alone.

Of course, Petraškienė stopped to examine the animal and see if it was okay.

However, the situation was worse than it seemed.

Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

While she filmed her encounter with the dog, she realized he dog wasn't simply abandoned, but had survived a malicious attempt against his life.

Judging from his dripping-wet fur, Petraškienė deduced that the dog had just crawled out of the nearby river.

Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

But it was what she found tied around his neck that told her this dog hadn't merely gone for a mid-day swim.

"Apparently, somebody put a heavy metal item on his neck and dropped him in the river to drown."

Instagram | @alshuttus

Petraškienė's daughter, Andra, told The Dodo that "The dog was scared and shaking from the cold as well."

Tied around the dog's neck was a 13lb makeshift anchor to aid in the attempted drowning.

Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

It's unsure how the medium-sized dog was able to survive the drowning attempt, but he was seemingly able to drag himself out of the water, anchor and all, and make it to the side of the road where Petraškienė found him.

"He's a real fighter," Andra said.

In the video of their meeting, the dog is visibly wary of Petraškienė's approach and doesn't warm up to her right away.

Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

This is completely understandable, given the horrifying ordeal he likely just went through at the hands of another human.

It isn't until Petraškienė, using a gentle voice, offers the terrified dog the chance to sniff her hand that he trusts her to enough to let her touch him.

Petraškienė took the pooch home and removed the weight from his neck before taking him to the vet to be checked out.

Facebook | VšĮ "Vyšnių sodas"

Miraculously, the dog appeared to be unharmed and was cleared from the vet's office without any need for treatment.

Acting on the belief this was a pet whose owner had maliciously attempted to drown him, Petraškienė called the police.

One question remained: Who was the dog's owner, and why had they tried to drown him?

Facebook | VšĮ "Vyšnių sodas"

Well, according to a Facebook post by the Lithuanian animal rescue group "Vyšnių sodas" ("Cherry Garden"), the attempted drowning was not carried out by the animal's owner, but by his neighbor who chose the dog to be the unfortunate victim a revenge plot.

The dog's owner, who the organization explains adores his 5-year-old dog, blames himself for the attempt against his life.

Facebook | VšĮ "Vyšnių sodas"

"[He] didn't know that the puppy ran away," the translated post from the organization reads.

They then cautions people following the story not to be so quick to add more blame onto the unnamed owner: "Let's not attack a person until his fault has been shown."

Many users who have seen the video are disgusted.

Instagram | @irina_laurel

"Someone needs to put a weight on the guy who did this and throw him in the river!" one user wrote.

Others have praised Petraškienė''s selfless actions.

Facebook | Audra Petraškienė

"There should be more people like you," another user wrote.

They've thanked her for stopping her car to give attention to a dog who needed more help than she ever realized.

Check out the full video of Petraškienė's rescue of the dog below.

Posted to her Facebook page, the video currently has 1.6 million views.

Although there are indeed monsters out there, at least we can rest easy knowing there are plenty of good people, too.

h/t: The Dodo

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