They named her Frozen, an apt moniker for the pit bull mix Saginaw police found frozen to the ground last month as she desperately clung to life.

Frozen recovered well at the shelter according to Saginaw Animal Care and Control Director Lisa Stoffel.

“Unfortunately, when they’re out like that in the cold, we’ve had some really bad cold snaps,” Stoffel told M Live. “Then they just lay down, go to sleep and get some rest, while the condensation freezes them to the ground.”

Animals in that condition cannot be warmed quickly, though. Or pulled from the ice. A blanket eased her body temperature back up and Frozen was carefully removed. Stoffel said it didn’t take long for the 1.5-year old pup to bounce back, but warm fluids were a part of her recovery.

This winter, five Michigan dogs have been found frozen to the ground. Four of them survived the ordeal.

Frozen is now ready for her forever home and can be your new Queen Elsa for a $62 adoption fee. Stoffel noted that she’s friendly and gets along with other dogs.

Interested? Call 989-797-4500.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Penelope the pit bull has a brand-new home.

She found her forever family on New Year’s Day and the experience was a far cry from where her story (the part we know about, anyway) began.

Not long ago, a concerned citizen found her shivering in the bushes out on the streets of Richmond, VA. She alerted animal control officers, who came to rescue the freezing pup.

Vets for Richmond Animal Care and Control treated her for hypothermia, preventing its onset, and cleaned up multiple bite wounds they suspect she suffered as a result of being part of a dog-fighting operation. She had a fracture and holes in her sinus cavity, as well.

RACC believes Penelope to be three or four years old. Her case is now an open investigation.

“Penelope is the poster child for the work our shelter does every single day,” Director Christie Chipps Peters told WDBJ. “We rescue animals from terrible situations, work hard to rehabilitate and provide medical care and then strive to find a great forever home. We are thrilled that we could be a part of this sweet dogs life at a time when she needed it most. Additionally, we are so very grateful to everyone that supports our city shelter.”

Good news, according to RACC: 2017 marked the first year there was enough funding in their foundation for every life-saving surgery necessary for the animals in their care. In 2016, they were only able to help 68 percent of their charges.

“We see animals that are injured, neglected, animals hit by a car, thanks to this foundation we were able to cover the emergency care of any animal in need in the city,” said Robin Young, RACC outreach coordinator.

They also funded over 1,300 hours of on-site behavioral training and assessment services, to help make sure that each of the dogs and cats in RACC’s care found the right home.

“Penelope was definitely was a critical case when we found her,” Young said. “She was definitely a case where she needed care and she needed it right away. There wasn’t time to wait on another private shelter to come in.”

RACC, of course, will still need plenty of funding to continue helping in 2018.

“It’s a continual need, everyday; we don’t know whats going to come through our doors.” she said. “So 2017 was a great year but… we always need donations to keep this going.”

——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–

Zoey the Bichon Frise went on quite the harried ride this week, and Felipe Rodriguez saw her take off.

He told reporters for the Associated Press he thought he was hallucinating when he saw an eagle snatch his sister’s dog from their yard on the banks of the Lehigh River in Pennsylvania.

“It seemed like something from the ‘Wizard of Oz,’” he told the AP on Wednesday. “I’m a city boy. This doesn’t happen in my world.”

Even more astonishing: Tiny, 8-pound Zoey would live to bark another day.

The AP looked into the story, checking with a biologist at Hawk Mountain Sanctuary to see if an eagle could do such a thing.

“It has been documented before, but not that often,” said Laurie Goodrich. “Food is scarce right now, particularly with this cold snap,” she said. “The waterways are freezing up. They’re going to be looking a little more widely and taking advantage of whatever might be out there.”

Rodriguez had been visiting is sister in Bowmanstown, about 80 miles north of Philadelphia, when he heard a screech. He got to the window in time to see the eagle holding Zoey in its talons. The dog had been playing in the yard.

He patrolled the neighborhood by car looking for Zoey but found no trace. He assumed she was a goner, and his sister and her family were devastated.

“I did nothing but cry all day,” Monica Newhard said, noting she’d seen eagles before as her home is very close to the river. But she had no idea any of her dogs could be in danger.

They searched the woods for Zoey’s remains with no idea that a good Samaritan would have her in a safe place later that very day — but four miles away.

Christina Hartman was driving on a snowy road when she saw something odd and stopped to investigate. The furry lump turned out to be Zoey.

“I notice this little frozen dog, icicles hanging from all over. It could hardly move,” Hartman said.

Hartman scooped the pup up in a blanket and took her home, where she was given two bowls of chicken-and-rice soup. Slowly, Zoey — who was limping, had small wounds on her neck and no collar — began to come around.

“This dog belongs to a family, and I’m gonna find out who owns it,” Hartman told herself.

The following day, she saw Newhard’s public Facebook post. She was thrilled to be able to call Zoey’s family.

“I said, ‘It’s a miracle! I have your dog!”

It’s not clear how far the eagle carried her, but Rodriguez said he can’t believe Zoey survived.

“She is not really herself but she is getting lots of love,” his sister, Newhard, texted the AP late Wednesday. “She doesn’t want to go out. … I really can’t blame her.”