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Shivering dog found crammed in ‘frost-covered crate’ in NC. Then his luck took a turn

Marco the dog got a second chance after he was found abandoned near a North Carolina shelter.
Marco the dog got a second chance after he was found abandoned near a North Carolina shelter. Screengrab from the Humane Society of Catawba County on Facebook

A shivering dog was found abandoned in a “frost-covered crate” — and now, he has a new home.

Marco was saved from the cold after North Carolina rescuers saw the dog crammed in a crate outside the Humane Society of Catawba County, the animal shelter said in a Feb. 2 Facebook post.

“Marco was left on our property in a cage too small, severely malnourished, and scared to death,” the Humane Society wrote. “This poor guy had obviously never been shown what love is.”

At first, Marco flinched at the touch of his rescuers, but his attitude soon changed, the shelter said.

“Our hearts broke for this poor dog!” the shelter said. “As soon as he was brought into the shelter and understood we were there to help, all he wanted to do was to curl up in our laps and give us kisses.”

Marco started a path toward recovery. He gained weight and got accustomed to spending time in a foster home, according to rescuers.

“Whatever he experienced in the past, it hasn’t dulled his ‘sparkle,’ as Marco is so happy to simply be with you and enjoy life,” the shelter wrote.

Then, it came time for the “sweet” and “spunky” dog to go up for adoption, the shelter said. A day after the Humane Society posted about Marco on Facebook, he started his next chapter with a new owner.

“Someone fell in love with his story and adopted him,” the shelter told McClatchy News in an email.

The shelter is in Hickory, roughly 55 miles northwest of Charlotte.

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This story was originally published February 5, 2024 at 11:50 AM with the headline "Shivering dog found crammed in ‘frost-covered crate’ in NC. Then his luck took a turn."

Simone Jasper
The News & Observer
Simone Jasper is a service journalism reporter at The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina.
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