When rescuers in Youngstown, Ohio, first learned about a stray black dog wandering the streets, they hoped she’d be another success story. But what they found instead was a heartbreaking case that reminded everyone how deeply animals can suffer when the world turns its back on them.
The dog, later named Maeve, had been abandoned and left to fend for herself. Starving and alone, she wandered the city streets in search of food. At some point, she was struck by a car, leaving her severely injured. With no one to help her, Maeve survived the only way she knew how by staying far away from humans.
Deputy Keith Stokes from the Mahoning County Dog Warden heard about the injured dog and began trying to capture her. Each attempt failed. “He had tried repeatedly, but she would never let him get close to her,” said Megan Zarlenga of the Mahoning County Dog Warden.
Maeve had every reason to be afraid. People had already failed her too many times.
Days later, police officer Megan Feidler spotted Maeve again. The dog was limping badly and so thin that her ribs showed through her dark coat. Feidler radioed for help, and Deputy Stokes joined her. When they finally cornered the frightened dog, Stokes stepped back, sensing Maeve’s fear. He handed Feidler the leash and let her take the lead.
Feidler slowly sat on the ground and began speaking softly. She didn’t reach out or rush her. She just talked. The dog stared at her, trembling, as if weighing whether to trust this new stranger. Then, after a few minutes, Maeve made her choice.
“I felt so sad for her. She was obviously scared and very skinny. Eventually, she laid down next to me, and I’m just talking to her and petting her, letting her know it’s OK,” Feidler said.
When Maeve finally allowed the leash to be slipped over her neck, she was too weak to resist. Officers carried her to the van, and once inside, she collapsed in exhaustion and closed her eyes.
Maeve was immediately taken to Friends of Fido Animal Rescue, a nonprofit that provides care for neglected and injured dogs in the Youngstown area. Vets there discovered multiple fractures in her pelvis, lung damage, and signs of extreme malnutrition. Her condition was serious, and her caregivers were devastated to learn how much pain she had endured.
Despite her fragile state, Maeve’s rescuers stayed by her side around the clock. “We need her to feel good again. We need her to know that she is loved more than she can imagine…more than she ever has been,” the shelter shared.
But her little body had endured too much. Even with IV fluids and oxygen, Maeve began to weaken. After a few days of fighting to stay alive, she passed away peacefully, surrounded by people who finally gave her the love she had been denied for so long.
Maeve’s rescuers are heartbroken, but they take comfort in knowing that she didn’t die alone. For the first time in her life, she was safe, cared for, and loved.
