CAZENOVIA, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — A Pyrenees dog from Cazenovia has stolen the hearts of thousands on Facebook after his owner abandoned him last month.

Perry the Pyrenees was left tied to a sled outside the Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association overnight. The dog was given nothing but a bucket of water and a note saying, “Over 10 yrs old. Can no longer walk.”

“He couldn’t move. He was just sad,” said Mason Groesbeck, Animal Care Coordinator at Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association. Groesbeck said Perry seemed defeated and unmotivated to do anything.

Since then, the shelter has taken Perry in, put him through several physical therapy sessions and laser treatments, and he’s now walking again!

Those at the shelter found Perry had two forms of Lyme disease, including Ehrlichia, plus his fur was so matted it stuck to his skin, making it hard to walk.

Perry’s caretakers said the differences in his mannerisms are almost unrecognizable.

“I cried the day he came in and I want to cry just looking at him and how much he’s improved. it just, he melts my heart,” said Sabrina Wilcox, Executive Shelter Manager at Wanderers’ Rest Humane Association.

Wilcox posted a picture of Perry to Facebook the same day they found him, including a message hoping to inform people about abandonment. They never expected thousands of people would respond, now constantly checking in and looking for updates on Perry.

“We try to take action immediately where we can, but our biggest point was to make people understand why it’s not okay to do that. And that there are resources out there to help them if they feel like they have to,” Wilcox said.

Members of the community have stepped up, raising $6,000 to pay for Perry’s treatments, which Wilcox said were much needed and contributed to him being able to walk today.

Many thought they’d never see the day where Perry could stand on his own, and now his caretakers can’t get the 11 to 12-year-old dog to sit down!

As for who may be taking Perry in? The woman who’s been giving Perry his treatments, or his physical therapist, will be fostering him. That could eventually turn into Perry’s forever home. 

“They’ve already bought so much stuff for him, he’s going to be spoiled, so, he definitely deserves that,” Wilcox said.

Perry’s original owner, a 60-year-old man from Cazenovia, has been charged with failure to provide veterinary care. The investigation into the case is ongoing.