Tied to a Dumpster and Left to Die, Spartacus the Dog Still Wagged His Tail When Help Arrived
In St. Louis, a dog named Spartacus is now on a remarkable journey of healing after being found with horrific injuries—believed to be from dog fighting—and left tied to a dumpster.
On March 24, Stray Rescue of St. Louis received a call from a woman who had discovered the injured dog tied up and abandoned. Moved by his suffering, she untied him, brought him into her backyard, and gently promised,
“I’m gonna try to get you some help, honey, so you don’t suffer anymore.”
The dog was in terrible shape—his mouth appeared mangled, one leg was swollen and held in pain, and his body was covered in deep wounds. Despite the obvious trauma, when rescuers arrived, he wagged his tail.
They named him Spartacus, a tribute to his spirit.
A video captured the emotional moment he was rescued—tail wagging, he calmly walked into the transport vehicle.
“Bless this amazing woman for not walking away,” the shelter wrote. “She brought him home, called for help, and gave him blankets to rest on.”
At the vet, initial observations were grim. It looked like his entire jaw had been ripped off. But to everyone’s relief, X-rays revealed his jaw was still intact, and his leg wasn’t broken—just severely bitten and infected.
“What we thought was the roof of his mouth was actually the bottom of his jaw,” the shelter explained. “We’ve never seen anything like this before.”
Spartacus was started on antibiotics, fluids, and pain medication. Vets carefully removed the dead skin and began the slow process of healing.
Despite all he had endured, Spartacus remained sweet and gentle, responding to kindness with hope.
Just a day after his rescue, he was already able to take a short walk. Over the following weeks, the shelter continued daily wound care, slowly nursing him back to health.
Based on his injuries and bite patterns, rescuers strongly believe Spartacus was a victim of dog fighting, abandoned to die alone.
Thankfully, by mid-April, his largest wound had healed enough to be closed. His mouth was stitched up, and while his journey is far from over, his resilience has stunned everyone.
“He’s proving to be a total lovebug,” the rescue wrote. “All he wants now is the affection he was denied for so long.”
Today, Spartacus enjoys the simple things: breakfast, belly rubs, baby talk, and new friends. After everything he’s been through, he still chooses to trust—and love.