{"id":90329,"date":"2025-09-09T09:17:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-09T09:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329"},"modified":"2025-09-09T09:17:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-09T09:17:00","slug":"ziva-was-found-chained-to-a-tree-her-body-ravaged-by-mange-and-her-spirit-broken-but-her-rescuers-saw-the-light-in-her-eyes-and-gave-her-the-second-chance-she-so-deeply-deserved","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329","title":{"rendered":"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved."},"content":{"rendered":"
When Barbara Zuluaga saw a photo of a tiny, crusty-skinned puppy, she didn\u2019t know what kind of dog she was.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought that she was a Chihuahua or some other small breed,\u201d Zuluaga, board member of A Chance to Bloom Dog Rescue in Houston, Texas, told The Dodo. \u201cShe was just covered in mange, and it was very hard to tell.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

The puppy, who was about 8 months old at the time, was actually a Staffordshire terrier mix \u2014 but she was so malnourished, she was half the size she should have been, weighing about 12 pounds.<\/p>\n

The puppy, named Ziva at the time, had come into the BARC Animal Shelter in April after being found chained to a tree on a property in Houston. Besides being malnourished and covered in mange, Ziva had sores all over her body, and her foot pads had been rubbed raw.<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really sad story, and it happens a lot in Houston,\u201d Zuluaga said. \u201cFor a dog to get the injuries that she had \u2014 the mange and malnourishment \u2014 they have to be kept in a certain state for a long time, so it\u2019s really obvious that she suffered.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ziva was also scared of everyone she encountered. \u201cWhen you held her, she shook, and she wouldn\u2019t make eye contact,\u201d Zuluaga said.<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

Zuluaga pulled Ziva from the shelter and got her to a vet for treatment. While she was there, one of the veterinary technicians, Stephanie Williams, fell in love with Ziva, and she didn\u2019t want to say goodbye when it was time for her to go.<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

\u201cIt broke my heart to think about her leaving, and I wanted to be a part of her recovery,\u201d Williams told The Dodo. \u201cSo I volunteered to foster her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

Ziva lived with Williams for about two months, and during this time, Ziva gained weight, grew in a new coat of fur and learned a lot about being a dog.<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

\u201cShe got to see what it was like to be in a home, and how to eat out of a dog bowl and drink out of a dog water bowl and sleep in a bed and how to jump up on the couch,\u201d Williams said. \u201cShe did really, really well overcoming the adversities and the challenges that had been set before her, and I\u2019m proud of her.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

Lots of people were interested in adopting Ziva because she looked so little and cute, but Zuluaga knew Ziva required an adopter who could continue helping her through her fear issues. Eventually, Zuluaga found the perfect person.<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

\u201cA lady wrote to me and said that she heard Ziva\u2019s story and really connected to it,\u201d Zuluaga said. \u201cShe\u2019d previously rehabilitated dogs, and we had no doubt that she\u2019d be the perfect adopter.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

This past weekend, Ziva went to her new home in Fort Worth, Texas, and also got a new name \u2014 Roxy.<\/p>\n

\"Ziva
\n\u201cRoxy is doing fabulously,\u201d Cassie Rogers, Roxy\u2019s adopter, told The Dodo. \u201cShe is definitely attached to my hip \u2014 I have become her mom.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Ziva<\/p>\n

\u201cShe is starting to play with toys, loves food time and treats, snuggles on the couch with us and sleeps in the bed, gives me kisses, and just wants to run and play with the big dogs,\u201d Rogers added. \u201cI am in love with her.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When Barbara Zuluaga saw a photo of a tiny, crusty-skinned puppy, she didn\u2019t know what kind of dog she was. \u201cI thought that she was a Chihuahua…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":90330,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"yoast_head":"\nZiva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved. - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved. - NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"When Barbara Zuluaga saw a photo of a tiny, crusty-skinned puppy, she didn\u2019t know what kind of dog she was. \u201cI thought that she was a Chihuahua...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"NEWS USA\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-09T09:17:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"894\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"872\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"MrLuu\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329\",\"name\":\"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved. - NEWS USA\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-09T09:17:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-09T09:17:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png\",\"width\":894,\"height\":872},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved.\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/\",\"name\":\"NEWS USA\",\"description\":\"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69\",\"name\":\"MrLuu\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"MrLuu\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved. - NEWS USA","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved. - NEWS USA","og_description":"When Barbara Zuluaga saw a photo of a tiny, crusty-skinned puppy, she didn\u2019t know what kind of dog she was. \u201cI thought that she was a Chihuahua...","og_url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329","og_site_name":"NEWS USA","article_published_time":"2025-09-09T09:17:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":894,"height":872,"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"MrLuu","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"MrLuu"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329","name":"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved. - NEWS USA","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png","datePublished":"2025-09-09T09:17:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-09T09:17:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/screenshot_1754152562.png","width":894,"height":872},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=90329#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Ziva was found chained to a tree, her body ravaged by mange and her spirit broken. But her rescuers saw the light in her eyes \u2014 and gave her the second chance she so deeply deserved."}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/","name":"NEWS USA","description":"Your Daily Dose of Sports News and Updates","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/301df8231b74387730cd1ed513c32f69","name":"MrLuu","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dc1fd3814c4cb3d1816165db2274a22bac8ad2b5452a36bf175d03eafdd0ecc5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"MrLuu"},"url":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?author=8"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=90329"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90329\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":90331,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90329\/revisions\/90331"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/90330"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=90329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=90329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=90329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}