A sick dog, labeled a “werewolf,” received no help until someone made a plea, underscoring the importance of spreading awareness and advocating for animals in need.

Living on the side of the road, he looked like a scary, strange, decrepit werewolf with a mane of patchy fur, a skeletal frame and nubby pink tail.No one around the orchard in Madera Ranchos, California, seemed to bother to want to find out what kind of animal he was, or if they knew he was a dog, they weren’t interested in helping.

That is, until a woman noticed him and posted a pleading message on Facebook. Dog rescuer Megan Bowe responded after dog owner YB Rivlores uploaded a number of pictures of the animal.

The owner of Bowe’s Adoptable Rescue Pups could tell from the images that the German Shepherd was near death, but she didn’t realize how terrible he was until she got there to save him. He struggled to even stand.

She hurried King to the doctor, where it was discovered that he was just a year old or so since his fur was falling out and he was extremely underweight. He had suffered a broken pelvis months previously.

“We have a fractured pelvis that happened a few months ago. Bones are healing but not in the right place,” Megan wrote on Facebook.

She set to work to put this broken dog back together again. He was quarantined so as to not infect the other dogs and put on a special feeding regimen. When he regained enough strength, he underwent surgery, which went well.

The vet instructed Megan to take King on daily walks to strengthen his hind leg.

It’s now been a about a month and a half since Megan first rescued King, and he’s come a long way in that short time. His hair is growing back and he’s loving going on car rides and getting treats and trying out his new dog bed.

He’s a happy boy and it’s extremely fortunate that a Good Samaritan acted to help him when she saw him and that Megan saved him. Thanks to her, he has a bright future ahead.