PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — Oscar the dog was found locked in a trash, tortured and left for dead last month in Pittsburgh’s Garfield section, but the Animal Rescue League took him in to nurse him back to health.

The dog has improved significantly since then, and he was supposed to go to a new home on Friday morning, but things didn’t happen exactly as planned.

When Oscar was dropped off at the Animal Rescue League, he had clearly been neglected. The gash in his neck likely was caused when his tiny collar became ingrown into his skin.

But that all seems like ancient history now.

“He’s all cleared. We had him on a bout of antibiotics. His wounds are all cleared up now,” said Dan Rossi, of the Animal Rescue League. “There is just a bit of scabbing. He’s fine.”

The fleas are gone. His fur is clean. The problem is the family who was supposed to adopt him backed out at the last minute.

“He’s very trusting, very loving of people, which is good to seek,” said Rossi. “That’s what I think people love about animals is they are so trusting and willing to give people another chance.”

There is lots of interest in adopting Oscar. A total of 60 people said they would take him.

So, now it’s almost like a lottery system. Those names go in a dog dish, and the Animal Rescue League will pull a name, and that lucky family gets to start the process of making Oscar a part of their family.

“Although they are chosen, they still need to go through the adoption process to be an approved adopter,” says Rossi.

And while Oscar sure seems to be well on his way to recovery, the Animal Rescue League knows he isn’t for everyone.

“He needs a lot of attention. He needs a lot of training,” Rossi added. “We found things like potty training [were] never done with him, so we need an adopter that is going to be patient with him to help him through that process to learn for the most part.”

RELATED LINKS:
Dog Found Locked In Garfield Trash Can (8/28/12)
More Local News