“He [Charlie Sikes] was found in a ditch with large, open, gaping wounds full of maggots all over. A Good Samaritan found him and did not keep driving. He pulled over and loaded him in his car, not knowing what the next step would be,” Stray Rescue of St. Louis wrote on their Facebook page.

That next step was reaching out to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.

As the man drove Charlie to their shelter, staff shared pictures of Charlie with his savior and wrote, “His journey to a new life is underway. He’ll be here soon and we will keep you posted, he’s going to need your love and prayers.”

And it would be touch and go on his first night. His wounds were so graphic his rescuers opted not to share many of them on social media. But seeing him so battered and wounded completely broke their hearts. But Charlie Sikes pulled through!

“My lord, his EYES are so beautiful! You can tell how sweet he is just by the shape of his eyes,” Stray Rescue said in an update about Charlie.

During the past few weeks many people have stepped up to help the dog in his recovery.

Stray Rescue said they received an incredible donation from Jim at Nextra Health who walked into the shelter with $5000 worth of wound care products and supplies that will directly help in Charlie’s recovery.

“Charlie Sikes is healing so well! He got to leave with one of our volunteers, get out of the clinic, and go to the park for a short walk,” Stray Rescue shared in an update. “She said she had to hold him back because he really wanted to run! This miracle boy is feeling GREAT!!”

In the meantime, consider supporting dogs like Charlie in their recovery by making a donation to Stray Rescue of St. Louis.