Who is this handsome, regal, healthy, alert boy? Anyone care to guess?
Here’s a brutal reminder from last April.
Yes, it’s Courage, the amazing German shepherd whose owner starved him nearly to death and let him subsist on rocks and dirt. He was down to 37 pounds when he was rescued from his Bellflower, Calif., “home.” He could barely lift his head, but he had a sweetness that rescuers fell in love with.
What a difference less than a year makes…
Today Courage is a strapping 90 pounds. He is thriving under the loving care of Lisa Whiseant, one of his rescuers from the German Shepherd Rescue of Orange County. His former owner, Kimberly Nizato, was arrested and charged with felony animal neglect. A pretrial hearing last month will continue on March 3, according to the Orange County Register.
This week Courage was the main attraction at the “BRAVO Awards,” which honors brave residents of his former community. That’s where the top photo was taken.
“I’m a very proud momma, and he is very loved,” Whiseant said at the event.
I’ll keep you posted on Nizato’s hearing. But I wanted to pass this beautiful photo along to those of you who remember the stories we did about Courage last year. We were there right from the beginning, and I’m so happy to be able to keep giving you good news about this most amazing, courageous dog.
(Top photo by Diandra Jay, Long Beach Press Telegram)
