22-05-2025
East TN nonprofit raising money for disabled dog found abandoned
GRANDVIEW, Tenn. (WATE) — After rescuing several dogs from a Rhea County home, a Tennessee nonprofit is hoping to provide a new lease on life for one of the dogs that was found partially paralyzed.
Amy Thran of the Flying Pigs Sanctuary visited the dilapidated home last month after receiving a tip from a local deputy. More than a dozen dogs were found, as well as several puppies found under the home. When Thran went to retrieve the pups from underneath the home, she found a dog in dire shape that wouldn't leave her side.
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'After crawling back under the house not once, not twice, but he went with me three times. And I swear he was just like, 'don't leave me here. I'm staying by your side because you're not going to leave me here,' Thran told 6 News.
The dog's hind legs didn't work. He couldn't walk, but he could crawl. He was malnourished and flea-ridden with sores covering his feet from dragging himself around. Thran wrapped him up and affectionately dubbed him 'Burrito.'
'I'll never forget him looking at me and saying 'don't leave me here,'' Thran said. 'I had a dog bed in my truck and I literally rolled him up like a burrito and that's where his name came from.'
'I rolled him up, put him in the front seat and he literally laid staring at me the whole way home. The gratitude and appreciation was something I'll never forget.'
A veterinarian who evaluated Burrito said he'd likely never regain use of his hind legs. However, Thran realized that Burrito could wag his tail after bringing him back to the Flying Pigs Sanctuary, giving her hope that he could one day walk on all four legs.
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The sanctuary has now launched a fundraiser to pay for an advanced diagnostic for Burrito to determine what can be done to help him regain use of his legs. The goal is to raise $4,000.
They are also holding a virtual step-a-thon for Memorial Day weekend, encouraging participants to get donation pledges for each step they walk on the holiday. The individual or group with the most steps will receive a weekend at one of the glamping cabins at Lemon Lane Farm in Grandview where the sanctuary is located. Click here for more information on the fundraiser.
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