Many people out there treat their dogs like their children, but then there are others, who subjugate these sweet creatures to extremely inhumane conditions. Cala, the guard-dog of a mechanic in San Jose, Costa Rica, was one of those unfortunate pups. Her owner kept her chained up on a chain so short that she had no way of resting her head and could barely breathe. When she was sick the owner wouldn’t take her to the vet and rarely fed her. Fortunately for Cala, her suffering had a positive end.

Concerned neighbors saw the conditions her owner had kept her in for years and reported them to the police as well as the animal shelter Territorio de Zaguates. When she was finally rescued, Cala had to be treated for emaciation, wounds, and malnutrition.

Lya Battle, the founder of Territorio de Zaguates, told the Dodo, “The picture I first saw of her showed a pitiful creature robbed of its dignity and ready to give up — a dog whose spirit had been broken and was just waiting for the end to come while living a never-ending nightmare.” She described the healing process as a slow one, “the humans around her still had to cause her pain through the curing of her wounds, especially the gash in her neck caused by years of hanging from a tight metal chain around her neck,”

Even after her resue Cala would come to endure more abuse at the hands of humans. In June, people snuck into the sanctuary in an attempt to kill some of the dogs with poison sausages. While 16 of the dogs died, this tenacious pup survived. Battle said this was probably in part due to her size and although she suffered some neurological problems Cala’s health returned.

Today Cala is living with a host family and has learned to get along with new humans and dogs alike. “After years of neglect, torture, and imprisonment, Cala seems to be getting all the puppy misbehaving process out of her system and we all think that’s just fine. She is happy, strong, willful, a bit stubborn, and spoiled by her foster mom and family,” said Battle, adding, “This rescue is an epic battle of good against bad and of hate against love, and in the end, as it always does, love wins.

Territorio de Zaguates rescues and shelters hundreds of dogs in Costa Rica with no home so they can “receive lots of affection and socialize with the people and families.” Scroll down below to see pictures of Cala’s transformation!

For years guard dog Cala was tied to a chain so short she couldn’t rest her head or even breathe correctly

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

The neighbors reported the inhumane conditions to police and dog shelter Territorio de Zaguates

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

When she was rescued Cala was so malnourished she couldn’t even stand and was covered with wounds and gashes from being chained up

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

Her health was so poor that if Cala hadn’t been found when she was she would have died

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

Nursing her back to health was a lengthy and painful process for the pup

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

In addition to the pain, she was very mistrusting of other dogs and humans

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

But the rescue team was not going to give up on her

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

This is Cala a couple days after treatment, already looking better

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

However, even after her rescue Cala learn again how cruel people can be

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

In June, some people snuck into the sanctuary in an attempt to poison the dogs with tainted sausages

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

Tragically 16 dogs were killed, but Cala managed to survive only suffering from some brief neurological problems

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

Lya Battle, the founder of Territorio de Zaguates, told the Dodo that she survived due too her size and because she was “Just too tough a cookie!”

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

Today Cala is living her best life in a new home. “She is happy, strong, willful, a bit stubborn, and spoiled by her foster mom and family,” reported Battle

Image credits: Territorio de Zaguates

Even though her story has a happy ending, people were infuriated to hear of her former abuse

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