Around Christmas last year, an innocent ten-week-old puppy was placed in a bag and abandoned in the freezing woods. She was in dire need of medical care, and the RSPCA officers and veterinary staff that worked to save her life didn’t expect her to survive – but, to their amazement, she did.
The puppy, who was thought to be around nine weeks old, was discovered on December 28, 2017, by a couple taking a lunchtime walk through the forest in Stockton-on-Tees in Durham County, England. She was in a plastic bag, covered in scabs, and almost completely bald.
With barely any fur to keep her warm and temperatures as low as minus 2 degrees Celcius, the little pup was in danger of losing her life. Just hours after being rescued, the spot where she’d been discovered was covered in five inches of fresh snow.
Claire and Rob Neal, the couple that found the puppy, took her to a veterinarian for treatment for her skin condition, where she was diagnosed with a severe case of mange. The couple named her El after Eleven, a character from their favorite TV show Stranger Things, who was also found in the woods.
El was fostered throughout last year’s holiday season before being adopted by Antony and Karl Simmonds of Redcar on Teesside. Since being adopted, her fur has grown back into a healthy, shiny coat. She’s become comfortable at her forever home, where she loves playing fetch on the beach and napping on the sofa, and where she’s undoubtedly had a much better Christmas than last year!
To see more photos of El’s amazing transformation, visit her Facebook page!

I could see right away El had a severe case of mange.
Even if you didn’t know what’s wrong, you do not abandon a sweet little life to die.
You get help, and if you can’t do that, you turn the dog or cat in.
Thank you to El’s rescuer and adopters. El in one beautiful pup! What a face!!!
A long and happy life to El, Antony and Karl <3
I am happy for this dog. I wish the people who abused him, get abused & jailed & heavily fined.
Parce que je suis contre la cruauté envers les animaux
always happy to see positive results – thank you to rescuers – the dog looks beautiful – hope the perpetrator is caught and punished severely
Wishing her all the very best.
THANK YOU to the wonderful people who rescued and adopted El — you’re the best — WHO in their right mind would abandon a pup in the woods — thank God you were taking a walk that day along the right path — thank you.
Such a great story of people coming through for animals. Inspiring!!!!
Who would do this? Why. Sickening
So happy for EL. Love you EL.
Here’s a video the bbc did for us.
https://www.facebook.com/bbctees/videos/10155178994316714/
Hi guys I’d like to thank everyone for taking the time to read about our little star El.
she was one of thousands of animals the has been dumped when there owners can’t handle there needs or they just don’t want them anymore.
El was one of the lucky ones in life that got found and has the life she deserves, but there are thousands that need help too if your looking to get a animal or family pet please please look in to everything befour hand like pet insurance, food prices, who’s walking the pooch and is it a pet or a status your looking for pets are for life not just for Christmas don’t buy from a breeder there are a lot of animals in rescue centres who will give you as much love and just wants the new start to be part of a happy family. Thank you xx
Antony & Karl Simmonds Sergent
We forgot to wish everyone a happy new year and happiness for 2019 xx
Aren’t you the lucky ones! Look at that face! A huge thank you to the Neal family for the care and love they gave El during her recovery. Hope you have many more Happy New Years with your little family. It’s a lovely story when there seem to be so many sad ones these days.
Thank you to everyone who helped save this poor baby. I’m so glad that El found a new and loving home which she sure deserves.
BEST WISHES TO EL AND HER NEW FAMILY FOR A WONDERFUL LIFE.
DID THEY EVER FIND THE MONSTER WHO DID THIS TO EL? THEY MUST BE FOUND AND SEVERELY PUNISHED. PUT THEM UNDER THE JAIL WHERE THEY BELONG. THERE IS A SPECIAL PLACE IN HELL FOR MONSTERS WHO DO THIS TO ANIMALS.
No they haven’t but they will drop them selfs in it sometime
The human trash needs to be disposed of!
She’s gorgeous. Thank you to her saviours, may El live a happy long life.
And may karma be a real effin’ bitch to the despicable specimen who left an helpless sweet pup there to die.
Lovely ending!!!
I wish a long happy life for this dog.
Glad this beautiful baby was found in time,there is some nasty scum out there but thank god some really nice people who help innocent animals.If it was not for her being found in time it could be a different story for this little girl.
Thank goodness for the wonderful people who rescued El and kudos to her foster care family and her new forever family.
Thank heaven this sweet pup was found , has healing and doing well. To all of those that abuse a helpless animal one day you will pay and hopefully suffer greatly for what you have done !
No animal deserves to be abused or mis treated in any way they have rights to they are innocent so why this cruelty please help end this torture
Humans are lowly scum! SO easy to take a dog or cat to a humane society for treatment then adoption than to dump it like a piece of garbage! SEARCH PROSECUTE DESTROY ANIMAL ABUSERS! THEY HAVE NO RIGHT TO SUCK IN OXYGEN! Little El was surrounded by the angels…thank Goodness!
I am happy El has a new , beautiful home . Thank you !
Merci à tous ces gens qui ont contribué au bonheur de ce pauvre chien!
Well done the rescuers and the people who re-homed her.
Thanks to you all that got involved in this wicked incident. As for the dumpers of El DON’T have a happy new year.
Thank goodness she was rescued in time.
I keep having this question: Why?? If someone does not want their pet any more, why do they want it to die? Why not take it to a shelter? Why abandon it in a place where it will likely die? We hear of quite a few cases where cats, dogs, etc. are found by accident and saved.
Always makes me wonder how many are not so fortunate and die a horrible,terrifying death alone.
These selfish, mentally sick perverts scare me. If they are capable of such senselessness, what other sadistic things do they carry out?
I think the same things. Also thanks to all who helped. Hope when payback hits the dumpers they remember this dog.
Yes i often wonder what poor animals suffer who are not found in time,I read sometime ago a dog found in a locked crate just i n time and also one that had not been found in time,These scum should have same treatment as they give to the animals they torture,I also wonder why do they want them to die,its not as though the poor animals can name there abusers.Evil Scumbags.Hope evil people get their just deserves soon.
Thank God they found her!!!
How can people(?) be so heartless if you can’t afford or don’t want the animal at least drop it off at a shelter. Grrr some people!
Thank goodness for the Neal’s for doing the right thing.
Take care Coreen
Such wonderful news–could not be happier for this sweet pup and that she’s in a loving home!
Ah, talk about a dog’s life…hope the ones who abandoned her are miserable and got nothing but some coal in their xmas stockings…sweet sweet puppy looks beautiful…HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
WOW!!! THIS MADE MY DAY!! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR HELPING THIS PRECIOUS PUPPY 🙂