By the time Kayla was rescued, she’d cruelly had her leg cut off with a knife, and her eye poked out. But even though she came to her rescuers in absolutely horrific condition, she showed no fear of humans, and just wanted to be loved.

WARNING: Graphic images below

Hope for Paws

When Hope for Paws, a rescue group in Los Angeles, got a call about a dog in need, they had absolutely no idea that it would be the worst case of animal abuse that they’d ever seen. A volunteer traveled to Mexico, where Kayla had been horrifically abused, in order to bring her to safety.

Hope for Paws

She needed immediate medical attention, and once she was at the vet, it became clear that her issues were more than just external. Kayla also had a tick disease, as well as intestinal parasites.

Hope For Paws

“Kayla was in so much pain … I don’t understand why would anyone do that,” Eldad Hagar of Hope for Paws wrote on his Flickr page.

Hope for Paws

Kayla was not able to have surgery until a few days after her arrival in California, as her body was extremely weak from fighting off all her infections. “It was so sad to see her this way, and so amazing that she was licking us and wagging her tail while we were cleaning up the wounds,” Hagar wrote.

Hope for Paws

Finally, Kayla had the rest of her right eye and her left leg removed. She is now healing, and despite the horrific abuse she has suffered, she loves giving kisses and receiving belly rubs, and is the definition of never giving up.