Anger as Unconscious Dog Dumped on Doorstep in Cardboard Box: ‘Just a Baby’

A dog in Pennsylvania was found in a near-death state on Monday, abandoned inside a cardboard box on a woman’s porch.

The distressing discovery was reported by Janine Guido’s mother, who initially believed the dog was dead. She immediately called her daughter, the founder of Speranza Animal Rescue.

“I was pretty much speechless. I had so many feelings. Sad. Mad. Worried. Scared,” Guido told Newsweek.

She rushed to her mother’s home and found, on closer inspection, that the pup was alive. But he wasn’t well. He was “unconscious and barely breathing,” Guido said, and she rushed to get the dog, named G.I. Joe, critical medical attention.

“There was a note attached to the Amazon box. We aren’t sure who left him,” Guido said.

The heartbreaking note said: “I’m a very good dog but my last owner only had me for a month and wasn’t told I was sick.”

On the other side, the note said: “I ate something my last owner don’t know what wrong. Please help me. She loves me very much and don’t know how to help me because she doesn’t have any money because she is sick.”

“He’s not even a year old. Just a baby,” Guido wrote in a post on Facebook after the discovery.

G.I. Joe was in dire condition upon arrival at a veterinary clinic on Monday. He was suffering from seizures, had matted fur and was covered in feces and urine.

Despite initial fears that he appeared close to death, the dog has made an amazing recovery since being treated at the clinic.

Speranza Animal Rescue is a volunteer-run rescue, rehabilitation center and sanctuary that cares for abused and neglected animals at its 17.5-acre farm in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.

Speranza means “hope” in Italian, and Guido aims to offer that to abused and neglected animals. For those who are unadopted, Speranza has a sanctuary where they can enjoy life alongside other dogs, pigs, goats, cows and cats.

An MRI scan found nothing unusual in G.I. Joe, prompting the veterinarians to do a spinal tap. To everyone’s amazement, the doctor informed Guido that G.I. Joe is doing “great.”

“He’s making progress. Which is a miracle. Because he was completely unresponsive,” Guido said.

She said Joe is now up and eating on his own, a remarkable turnaround from being unresponsive and experiencing violent seizures just days earlier.

Guido believes that the outpouring of support, prayers and shares on social media has played a vital role in G.I. Joe’s journey to recovery. On Wednesday, she shared that he is able to walk on his own.

“I’m hoping he continues to improve,” Guido said. “[We are] taking it day by day right now.”

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