CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. (WHTM)– An animal rescue in Cumberland County wants help to identify the person who left a dog that appeared to be dead on someone’s front porch.

The dog, GI Joe, was in extremely poor condition when he was found in an Amazon box that was dropped off on the porch of the mom of Speranza Animal Rescue’s founder. A letter was also found saying that he was sick and that his owner could not take care of him.

Humane Society seeking help after 17 dogs rescued from Cumberland County home

When the mom found the dog, she thought it was dead, but he was actually alive, the animal rescue posted on Facebook. The Australian Sheppard Cattle dog mix was barely breathing, suffering seizures, covered in feces and urine, and his pupils were not responding to light.

He was taken to the animal hospital to stabilize his condition.

“If you have a very ill dog that is literally on death’s door, take it to the vet,” founder of Speranza Animal Rescue Janine Guido said. “You can surrender it straight to the vet, and they can reach out to rescues, but don’t just dump it on somebody’s front door. Thank god he was found.”

GI Joe is under a year old; the dog was born in February 2023.

The animal rescue took to Facebook to show the dog’s recovery. In the most recent post, a doctor reported that GI Joe was doing “great,” and that he was up and eating on his own.

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“I actually interrupted him because I thought he was talking about a different dog,” the post reads. “NOPE. OUR boy is doing GREAT’!! HES UP AND EATING ON HIS OWN. This dog that was unresponsive yesterday and having violent seizures is UP AND EATING. I can’t stop crying. HAPPY tears!”

As of late Tuesday afternoon, the puppy is in a more stable condition and the rescue is looking for his owner. The goal is to get more medical history information to help with his recovery. Tips can be submitted anonymously.

With a costly vet bill, Speranza says donations are welcomed too. Those interested can make donations online by clicking here.

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