'Miracle dog' survives being hit by car, clubbed, abandoned

SPOKANE, Wash. — The stray dog was hit by a car, clubbed in the head and left for dead in a ditch in Washington state. Days later, the 1-year-old bully breed mix showed up sickly and covered in dirt at a nearby farm.

Now, the dog that defied death is recovering with the help of good Samaritans and veterinarians at Washington State University.

The dog used to roam the streets getting scraps of food from people in Moses Lake, a farm town about 100 miles west of Spokane.

About a month ago, she was struck by a car. Then things got worse: Someone cracked her in the head with a hammer and placed her in a box in a farm field.

But the dog somehow survived and was discovered at a nearby farm with a dislocated jaw, leg injuries and a caved-in sinus cavity.

The wounds helped veterinarians piece together what happened, including the hammer blow.

"I'm assuming that the person who did this meant to put her out of her misery," said Sara Mellado, who learned about the dog's plight on Facebook and took the animal into her Moses Lake home.

She named the dog Theia.

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