Severely abused dog left for dead finds new life thanks to community of heroes (VIDEO)



SEATTLE -- During an unseasonably bitter cold snap in November, a small, emaciated pitbull puppy was found tied to a construction site.

But what started out as a horrible tale, quickly turned into a story of triumph and community.

When Decker the Dog was found, he was tied to a construction site with no owner in sight. He was cold, and near death.

"Decker relied on the human being who put him on the balcony to make good decisions for him," Ann Graves of the Seattle Animal Shelter said. "He relied on that person to take care of him, to make sure he had what he needed. That didn't happen."

With Decker at death's door, some good Samaritan construction workers took him to the Seattle Animal Shelter. Slowly but surely, the tired pup gained weight and was nursed back to health. Soon, a foster family -- Stephen Johnson and Trish Root -- stepped in after seeing the story on Q13 FOX News.

Decker weighed just slightly over 40 pounds when they picked him up. But he wasn't mean, he wasn't bitter as one might expect out of an abandoned pitbull puppy.

"He just as sweet as ever," Root said. "We've had him now for about three weeks and he sits nicely and waits to be fed."

From the foster family, Decker went to a full-time home. His first night home, he slept in his new owner's bed. Now, all those who helped nurse him back to health marvel at his improvement from the dog they found months ago.

"Pitbulls are the sweetest, most gentle dogs," his owner Lisa says. "This dog is a perfect example of an animal that was so horribly mistreated, and all he wants to do is love and be loved."