A dog named Freya was left chained up under a house in St Louis, Missouri, after her owner was killed – and remained there for five years.
Neighbours would throw down food for her, and hay to help her keep warm, but for years she remained alone under the empty house, unable to get free.
The chain that tethered her there eventually became tightly would around her leg, and caused her such pain she chewed her foot off to free herself.
She was eventually rescued when firefighters alerted local animal welfare shelter Stray Rescue.
In a post on their websie the group wrote: “Rescuing her wasn’t easy. She feared humans from lack of socialization being isolated in her own private agonizing world.
“Donna (a member of staff with Stray Rescue) eventually was able to rescue the elusive and terrified white terrier. Once back at our trauma center, besides the obvious missing foot, we discovered she also has heartworm and a wicked case of a flea infestation. Her emotional wounds matched in intensity of her physical ones.”
Freya is now living with a foster family, where she is being nursed back to help.
“It’s a sad, tragic story with an amazing ending,” said Randy Grim, founder of the shelter.