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Shelter Dog No One Wanted Is Named 'Lazarus' After It Survives Euthanasia Attempt

Lazarus.
Lazarus. | (Photo:Facebook)

A 4-year-old mutt that no one wanted was named "Lazarus" — after a man Jesus rose from the dead — when it was found alive and drinking water hours after it had been administered a lethal dose of chemicals meant to kill it.

According to an Associated Press report, the dog was dropped off at the Ozark City Animal Shelter in Ozark, Alabama, on Aug. 19 by its owner who could no longer take care of the dog which had been hit by a car and was cut and bloody.

The shelter tried to find a new owner for the dog but no one stepped up give it a new home so the decision was made to put it down. On Sept. 10 the dog was given a lethal dose of chemicals at the shelter and left for dead in a pen.

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Animal control officer Wanda Snell told the AP that she watched as a veterinarian insert the needle of lethal drugs into Lazarus and it move a bit until it was quiet.

She expected the animal's lifeless carcass to be removed from the shelter the next morning but was shocked by what she discovered when she arrived for work the next morning.

Lazarus was standing in an outdoor pen after walking out of the one where he was left for dead and drank some water, leaving everyone guessing how the dog defied the death sting of the lethal injection.

"His body overcame and he had a will to live and somehow, someway he made it through," theorized shelter volunteer Cortney Blankenship.

"He was back up and breathing and going right about business like it's nothing," noted Ozark police Capt. Bobby Blankenship, who supervises the city shelter and is also Cortney Blankenship's father.

Dr. Robert Lofton of the veterinary school at Auburn University explained that Lazarus's survival could have been caused by an improper dose of the drug used or perhaps the needle tip missed the dog's vein.

Since his near brush with death, however, Lazarus now has a new home with Jane Holston of Helena.
The canine is also on medication to treat heart worms, and one of its legs that was damaged in the car accident is mending in a cast.

"He's not skittish, he's not afraid of anything, anybody, any sounds. I mean, it's just amazing what all he has been through," said Holston.

Contact: leonardo.blair@christianpost.com Follow Leonardo Blair on Twitter: @leoblair Follow Leonardo Blair on Facebook: LeoBlairChristianPost

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