It can be pretty easy to take in a stray dog that is covered in fur and looking all cute. But, would you be willing to take in a stray that was horribly abused and looked like a mess? That is the dilemma that this one man faced when a dog showed up to his door. He had no idea what to think and had to make a decision quickly.

20. Cold Night

It was a brutally cold night in Earlton, New York. A man was sitting inside of his home when he kept hearing the strangest noise outside of his home. He began to grow suspicious and went to check on the noise.

19. A Visitor

The man opened the front door and saw the most unexpected thing. There in front of him was a malnourished, hairless dog that looked like it had been through some serious hardships. The dog was freezing and needed help…

18. Abandoned

“It appeared that she had been dumped by the roadside and abandoned. It was a frigid night, and it was assumed she came to the door looking for food and warmth,” a spokesperson for the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA wrote on Facebook.

17. Quick Response

The man had a decision to make and so he did the only right thing. He brought the dog into his home to keep it sheltered from the cold. However, he knew he couldn’t keep her.

16. Phone Call

The man wanted to help the poor dog out so he called the police. The police showed up and took the poor dog to a nearby shelter. The staff at the shelter named the dog “Penny” and their hearts broke when they saw the terrible condition she was in.

15. Bad Shape

“She was in bad shape,” Ron Perez, president of the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA, told The Dodo. “She had some open lacerations on her face and neck, and was pretty much devoid of any hair. It was sad. It’s always sad to see them like this.”

14. Skin Condition

Upon further inspection of Penny, the vet quickly found out what was causing her skin problem. It was a condition called demodectic mange. With this condition, mites actually burrow into the dog’s skin and cause the fur to come out!

13. Infected

Since the mites burrowing into the skin causes an irritation, the dog’s begin to scratch at their skin. However, the more they scratch the more fur comes out. If the condition isn’t treated it can be deadly to the dog.

12. Mange

According to VCA Hospitals, “Mange is a parasitic skin disease caused by microscopic mites. Two different mange mites cause skin disease in dogs. One lives just under the surface of the skin, while the other resides deep in the hair follicles.”

11. Treatment

The shelter began to treat Penny immediately. Her skin was very flaky and infected with a lot of scabbing. “When she scratched it, she would scratch her flesh, which would get infected and create more bleeding,” Perez said.

10. Getting Better

With the right treatment, Penny began to get better and better each day. Penny began to stop scratching and her skin began to heal itself. A lot of the scabbing healed and she was doing better.

9. Impressive

“Within one week, she looked like a different dog,” Perez said. “The vet was pretty impressed with her recovery.” In just a few weeks Penny was a looking better than ever. You won’t believe how much she recovered!

8. Recovered

After a few weeks had gone by, Penny was a new dog. Her mange was completely gone and she was feeling good. Although her hair would never fully grow back she was still in much better shape than before.

7. Fighting Spirit

“She’s a real fighter and very resilient. Her stress levels are clearly much lower now, because she’s interacting with people and she has proper food and is sleeping correctly,” Perez said.

6. Police Work

In the meantime, the Columbia-Greene Humane Society/SPCA continued to work with the local police on finding out who abandoned Penny in such a cruel fashion. Eventually, all of their searching landed them to one man: Paul C. Bull.

5. Justice

Bull was arrested on animal cruelty charges. If he is convicted he could face a $1,000 fine and serve jail time. Justice has been served for Penny but now the shelter is excited for her to find her forever home.

4. Lots of Applicants

Once Penny was available for adoption the shelter received tons of applications. They wanted to make sure that Penny went to the best home possible. Then, they came across the perfect couple.

3. The Couple

“We got a lot of applications to adopt her,” Perez said. “But these two individuals are fantastic pet owners. They took it slowly and came and visited with her a couple times a week. I’d like to think this will be the last home she’ll ever go to.”

2. Sweet Dog

“She’s just a sweet dog,” Perez said. “She really doesn’t have a mean bone in her body. She’s an absolute doll, and she’s going to be a great pet.”

1. Forever Home

Thanks to one man’s kindness, Penny was able to get the care and treatment that she so desperately needed. Now Penny is off to her new forever home where she’ll be loved and taken care of.