Violet was spotted by a woman driving by an abandoned property in Miguel County, New Mexico, where it’s illegal to keep dogs chained with no one present. The dog’s neck had turned black from a heavy chain rubbing against it, and it was obvious she’d been on the chain for a while — possibly even her entire life. NMDOG, an organization that deals with chained dogs, was alerted about the situation.
When found in December of 2016, Violet was only two years old and had most likely been on the chain her whole life.
The woman called the Animal Welfare Coalition of Northeastern New Mexico, and the county sheriff department took Violet into custody. That’s when they learned her owner was in jail on unrelated charges.
NMDOG rescuers then took Violet to the vet. Her skin was badly sunburned, and she had flystrike, a condition in which maggots eat away at the dog’s flesh.
Other than that, Violet was relatively healthy. Understandably, she still had some fear issues to work through.