Dog that survived eating rocks at Nevada junkyard finds growing fanbase amid recovery

A malnourished dog found wandering a Nevada junkyard is gaining national attention for having eaten rocks to survive.

It was an act of desperation that nearly killed the dog.

However, volunteers at a nonprofit rescue agency in Las Vegas have refused to give up on him, resulting in a series of Facebook posts that have gotten thousands of reactions and comments in the past two weeks.

The online saga began Feb. 3, the day after rescuers found the dog — now called Anakin — with “a big swollen belly” and “terrible diarrhea.” Video shows he was discovered hiding among stacks of construction material, could scarcely walk and was frightened of humans.

“After X-rays today it is confirmed that this sweet emaciated boy has countless rocks in his intestines and colon,” Vegas Pet Rescue Project wrote Feb. 4 on Facebook.

“He also has no teeth from trying to chew on them to survive. He was obviously starving and trying to satisfy his hunger pains. He is very anemic too.”

Tina Hayes, a volunteer with Vegas Pet Rescue Project, says a veterinarian found the dog had also eaten twigs, leaves and debris. Surgery to remove the rocks from his intestines was considered but proved unnecessary when Anakin began passing the rocks on his own, she said.

His condition remains guarded, but the shelter is already looking for a foster home. Clinic staff determined Anakin is between 8 and 12 years old, and would need a quiet home to live out his final years, Hayes said.

Among the biggest questions now is how it happened. Documents show Anakin was previously named Rocky and had been adopted in October 2021, Vegas Pet Rescue Project noted in a Facebook post. He weighed 65 pounds at the time, about double his current weight.

“We don’t know if he was dumped or escaped, whatever,” Hayes said in a video. “This should never have happened.”

The most recent Facebook update, posted Feb. 10, noted Anakin had “a spa day” and began wagging his tail.

Many commenters on the agency’s Facebook posts have called the dog’s story both heartbreaking and mystifying, given he was so recently adopted.

“This poor guy sat in the shelter hoping and waiting for a loving family, got out thinking he had his freedom ride and he ends up in a whole other hell,” one person wrote.

“He ate stone to survive. It makes me cry,” another said.

This story was originally published February 11, 2022 at 12:32 PM with the headline "Dog that survived eating rocks at Nevada junkyard finds growing fanbase amid recovery."