KEY POINTS:
When Job the dog was rescued by the SPCA he was in such an appalling state staff could not tell what breed he was.
He had been abandoned in a locked house for more than a week. Mange had left him with no hair on his body, he had bleeding and weeping sores all over him and his eyes were glued shut with pus.
Today it's a different story.
"It's like a miracle," said SPCA Auckland general manager Jane Thompson. "He looks fantastic and is such a happy and enthusiastic dog."
Job is almost fully recovered from the injuries he had when he was rescued at the end of November.
He is now being looked after by a foster family to prepare him for adoption, though he still needs occasional visits to the SPCA centre in Mangere for treatment.
Foster mother Jan Baker said when she first saw Job she "could have cried".
"But now he is full of energy, running around like mad and happily playing ..."
A Housing NZ worker found the dog locked in a room of a HNZ property. The tenant had moved out a week earlier.
When the dog was found he feebly wagged his tail, prompting staff to name him Job after the biblical character who kept his faith while enduring a series of torments intended to turn him from God.
A man will appear in Manukau District Court next month facing four charges relating to neglect of a dog.
The SPCA has been inundated with offers of financial help and a QC has offered to take the case for free.
Inspectorate manager David Lloyd-Barker said the society had adopted a zero tolerance policy and was also pushing for maximum penalties under the Animal Welfare Act of six months in prison and a fine of $25,000.
The SPCA brought 14 cruelty prosecutions between July 2005 and August last year. Since then, there have been 22 successful prosecutions.
Mr Lloyd-Barker said Job's case illustrated why the zero tolerance policy had been introduced.
"Unfortunately there are a lot of Jobs out there."
