CORDELE— When Debbie McEwing of Cordele left the house September 7 of last year, she said, “There must have been a reason why I left late that day for work because if I had left on time, I wouldn’t have seen her.”

What she saw was “a little dog that was covered with crusty scabies and was starved and almost hairless.” Debbie then picked up the dog and showed her to her husband Don who brought her a basket and towel and said, “Take her to the vet.”

Debbie said, “She slept in the basket all the way to work and I cried all the way.”

The McEwings contacted the Crisp County Sheriff’s Department and they sent an Investigator to the vet’s office who took pictures of her. She weighed only 6 pounds at the time. The vets at Cordele Animal Hospital said this was the worst they had ever seen in all their years of practice.

Debbie said, “The treatments started and Don and I would visit her. We had to wear gloves when holding her.”

“She was not responsive to us — we later learned she could not hear. She seemed so depressed. She ate and drank and slept and moved around very little.”

“Sadie” was chosen as her name because Debbie had read a book about a young runaway girl by the name of Sadie, who had been abused.

“It seemed appropriate for her to share this name,” Debbie said.

Sadie had to stay at Cordele Animal Hospital from September 7-30 and had gained three pounds at the vet’s office. Dr. Becky Katz said that she was their “miracle dog of the year,” but all four doctors, Dr. Greene, Dr. Kendall and Dr. Peebles also treated her during the three weeks she was at the hospital.

By October 7, she was able to hear high-pitched sounds like a whistle. By early November, her hair was coming back following her treatments for scabies.

Debbie said Sadie fits in well with their other dogs, Max, Bear, Murphy, Sarah, Casey and Bingo.

By November they determined that she might be a Lhapsa-Apso mix . By December, the vet’s said she was healthy enough to undergo some necessary dental surgery which she pulled through with flying colors.

Sadie naturally has become very fond of Don and Debbie, but is definitely “Daddy’s Girl.”

Sadie is completely recovered and is believed to be around 11 years of age.

Debbie McEwing said, “ It’s difficult for me to comprehend how someone could be so heartless and cruel to something as loving and trusting as this little girl is. My husband and I feel blessed that she found us. When that sweet face looks at us it makes our hearts smile, her eyes tell the story, they send us a message of gratitude and love.”