Dog recovering after being struck with hammer, left for dead

In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Ryann Simmons sits with the dog his girlfriend is fostering at their home in Moses Lake, Wash. The dog, Theia, survived being run over, beaten with a hammer and buried, and now needs surgery. (AP Photo/The Spokesman-Review, Jesse Tinsley) In this photo taken on Tuesday, March 31, 2015, Ryann Simmons sits with the dog his girlfriend is fostering at their home in Moses Lake, Wash. The dog, Theia, survived being run over, beaten with a hammer and buried, and now needs surgery. (AP Photo/The Spokesman-Review, Jesse Tinsley)

By Associated Press April 1, 2015 1 min read

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) – A stray dog that was clubbed in the head and left for dead in a ditch about a month ago is recovering with the help of good Samaritans and veterinarians at Washington State University.

The 1-year-old bully breed mix was struck by a car about a month ago near the farm town of Moses Lake.

Sara Mellado learned of the ordeal through social media, took the dog home and named her Theia.

Mellado says she believes the person who clubbed Theia with a hammer and placed her in a box in a farm field did it as an act of mercy.

The dog is now receiving care at WSU’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Pullman.