Londyn was emaciated, sickly, and ready to die outside of a San Antonio high school until five teen guys saved her life.  A fundraiser for her medical care has already been exceeded, and she’s been taken in by a rescue group who is trying to find her a home where she can recover.

The five students – Brandon Noriega, Roland Bazan, Joseph Rangel, Ivan Zarate, and Luis Villanueva – saw her ambling around near the track outside of their classroom.

“It broke my heart, ya know,” Rangel told KENS 5.
The boys brought her water and took turns sitting with her until rescuers from Protecting Animals within San Antonio (PAWS) could arrive to help. Because the group has a club on campus, the students already knew who to contact.

“[We’re] trying to lower the stray population in San Antonio. It’s a really big issue that not many people pay attention to. But we’re trying to raise awareness and get more people involved,” said PAWS president Samantha Jasso.

Only weighing 27 pounds when she was found, rescuers said the six- or seven-year-old Lab mix likely had only hours left to live.  She was taken to Callaghan Animal Hospital where, in addition to being severely malnourished and loaded with ticks, Londyn was diagnosed with a venereal tumor, heartworms and Ehrlichiosis (a disease transmitted by ticks that can destroy many of the body’s systems).

She survived on garbage and knew nothing of human kindness, so the first few days were difficult.  She wasn’t eating well and the likelihood of her survival was slim.  A fundraiser of $2,500 was launched to cover the costs of chemotherapy and other treatment.  Within days, donations surpassed $2,600.

After a week in the clinic, she was taken to a foster home where she finally ate a full meal.  Her weakened condition left her unable to do much more than stumble around, but now she’s gaining enough strength to walk a little bit.  She is still easily exhausted and has trouble sitting and lying down without assistance.  But she’s learning to trust humans and is coming out of her shell.

She still has a long way to go, but her foster dad Daniel is working to make her stronger and more confident and trusting every day. She will begin chemo on the 21st of this month.

If you would like to donate to Londyn’s fundraiser, CLICK HERE. For more information or to see updates on her, check out PAWS’ Facebook page.