Rescued from Freezing Temperatures, Snowy Warms Her Finder’s Heart

On January 19, 2025, New York City was preparing for the biggest snowstorm of the season. In Brooklyn, the temperature was in the low 20s, and flurries were just beginning to fall, as Olivia P. ran to a nearby bodega. Halfway there, she realized she forgot her wallet at home and turned around. Little did she know this small mistake would soon change the course of her life.

While hurrying home, Olivia spotted a very skinny husky digging through piles of garbage, looking for something to eat.

“You could see every rib, every bone, her spine was protruding out,” recalled Olivia. “She looked incredibly malnourished, skinny and beat up. She had a wound on her arm; she was dirty all over and her nails were overgrown. She really seemed like she was on her last leg and didn’t have any sort of spark or life in her. I knew she had a very rough life up until that point.”

After living in New York for over 10 years, Olivia had never come across a stray dog, so she wasn’t entirely sure what to do, but she knew one thing for certain.

“I knew I wasn’t going to leave,” said Olivia. “I was scared because I didn’t really know what to do or if I was going to be able to rescue her, but I knew that I was going to do everything in my power to try and that I wasn’t going home that night until it was resolved.”

Getting Her to Safety

Olivia began following the dog, but as she roamed up and down the streets of Brooklyn, she became disheartened when she realized how many people were walking right by, doing nothing to help.

“I couldn’t believe it,” Olivia told us. “The adrenaline kicked in and I was ferociously protective of this dog. As these people were passing by and nobody was doing anything, I got more and more angry and more and more fired up because, how could you not help? How could you not even stop and ask if that’s your dog? It really blew my mind. I realized I was in this alone and I was going to do whatever I could, but I couldn’t really rely on anyone to help me.”

Olivia began trying to approach the dog, but the poor thing was so terrified that she ran away from Olivia with her tail tucked underneath her.

“I was doing the most trying to rescue this dog,” laughed Olivia. “I was yelling at cars, telling them to stop, asking random people (including the taco truck guy) if they knew how to whistle to try to whistle her over, I had a Junior's cheesecake in my bag that I was trying to tempt her with. She did not want to come near me. She did not trust me, or any of the humans out on the street.”

Olivia was getting progressively more worried as the seconds went by. The snow was starting to come down harder and it was getting even colder. Thankfully, a neighbor happened to walk by and offered to help. He ran into a nearby market and grabbed dog treats. With the help of these treats, the two were able to corral the dog into a fenced in garden area.

“Eventually, more neighbors came out to help,” said Olivia. “That felt really reassuring because we were all working toward this common goal of saving this dog.”

After hours of trying, they were finally able to slip a leash over the husky’s head and get her inside a neighbor’s apartment.

“She was still so timid and scared, but she just kind of resigned herself to it at that point once we got her inside the apartment,” remembered Olivia. “She seemed defeated, she was so sad.”

Now inside, the group determined the wounded husky would spend the night there and they would take her to a shelter in the morning.

Before Olivia left, her neighbor asked her if she would be interested in adopting the dog as she was so active in trying to rescue her.

“I said I didn’t know,” recalled Olivia. “I’m the type of person who loves to snuggle with my dogs and play with them and I didn’t know if this dog would ever let me do that. I had also lost my dog Brogan six years earlier and didn’t think I was ready to open up my heart to another animal. But my neighbor asked, if I did adopt her, what I would name her. I looked around at all the snow coming down and I said, ‘Snowy.’”

Olivia took down her neighbor’s number and left for the night. The next morning, she heard that Snowy was safe and in the hands of another Olivia, Olivia D’Amico, who lived in the neighbor’s building and happened to work for the ASPCA.

“That’s when I knew she was actually safe, and that everything was going to be okay,” said Olivia P. “She was going to get the care and help she needed from true professionals. Even though I could’ve taken her in, I was not equipped, prepared or capable of providing the medical and behavioral rehabilitation this dog required. But I knew that the ASPCA was.”

A Lucky Encounter

Olivia D. works at the ASPCA as the Social Media Coordinator, but previously worked at the ASPCA Adoption Center in New York City. So, when she saw a message in her building’s WhatsApp group with photos of Snowy looking emaciated, she knew she had to reach out to let them know that she might be able to help.

Olivia D’Amico recently reunited with Snowy.

“Snowy was truly a shell of a dog when I first met her,” remembered Olivia D. “It almost was like she accepted that her life was full of hunger and uncertainty. She was a dog who had been dealt a bad hand at life and had given up. It was so, so heartbreaking.”

Olivia D. reached out to her former manager at the Adoption Center and let them know about Snowy. While normally, a stray animal might go to Animal Care Center of New York City, seeing as this was a special case of a very sick dog, Olivia D.’s manager agreed.

With the help of her neighbors, Olivia D. was able to get a ride from Brooklyn to our Adoption Center in Manhattan.

“I sat in the back seat with her on the 45-minute ride up, and she just laid next to me, looking around with those big blue eyes,” said Olivia D. “While she was still clearly uncomfortable with me being close to her, the bumpiness of the roads had her back leaning against my thigh, and she never made a move to get away. I ended up being able to give her gentle pets along her back, and I feel like it was that first car ride where she realized we were trying to get her help. Once at the facility, she hopped out of the car and started to be a bit more curious about everything around her. She shockingly let me bring her up to her kennel with ease and even seemed to have more of a pep in her step.”

Now in our care, the real healing could finally begin.

Receiving Expert Care

On her first day in our care, Snowy was hospitalized as she was vomiting up some of the garbage she had eaten, and our veterinarians were worried that she may have an obstruction that could be life threatening and would require surgery. Luckily, Snowy made it out of the woods and was eventually placed on a refeeding plan.

 A refeeding plan is designed to slowly reintroduce caloric intake to avoid “refeeding syndrome,” a potentially fatal syndrome that occurs when caloric intake is reintroduced too quickly, leading to dangerous metabolic derangements and fluid shifts in the body.

Having formed a connection with Snowy, Olivia D. was committed to seeing her journey through and helping her along the way whenever she could.   

“I was working out of the Adoption Center three times week despite it being an hour commute each way just so I could see her and help with her care,” explained Olivia D. “Although my work hours are nine to five, I was coming in early and staying late to help walk her and give her as much out of kennel time as I could.”

Despite not knowing Olivia P. prior to the night’s events, Olivia D. was given her phone number by their neighbor and would send Olivia P. updates as often as she could.

“I remember seeing a photo of her on a bed with a blanket and a toy and my heart just melted,” said Olivia P. “It was just a drastically different sight from the night before.”

“Olivia’s videos and updates were like a lifeline for me,” she added. “It made me feel connected and close to Snowy and were instrumental in me falling in love with her. I would memorize every piece of the videos she would send and rewatch them every night before bed, zoom in on them, analyze every detail, because I was so curious and invested in her recovery. I fell for Snowy through Olivia’s eyes and Olivia’s videos.”

After about a week and a half of Olivia D. working with Snowy and visiting her kennel multiple times a day, something clicked.

“I went to say goodbye before I headed home for the night, and when I entered her kennel, she came right up to me with her tail wagging and put two paws right on my chest, almost like a hug,” Olivia D. told us. “I made my first real attempt of petting her, and she absolutely melted into my arms. This dog who didn't want anyone to touch her and was so empty a week prior was suddenly so happy to see me and was actively seeking attention. I ended up sitting on the edge of her bed and she crawled into my lap and gave me kisses. I truly could not believe the transformation, it was like someone flipped a light switch, and she realized I was her safe person in a new, scary place.”

Olivia D. happened to record this moment and sent it to Olivia P.

“That’s when I knew she was the dog for me,” said Olivia P. “She was capable of snuggling and kisses. Those were the things I was just so excited to do with her. I knew, if possible, I wanted to bring her home. I think Snowy’s resilience, bravery and strength really pushed me to take on a challenge that I didn’t think I was ready for before I met her, but once I got to know all these amazing qualities about her, I thought, I can do this. If she can get through what she she’s been through in life, I can give her a happy, safe home.”

Reuniting with Olivia P.

On February 28, 2025, Olivia P. left her apartment to head to the Adoption Center where she would finally adopt a healthy and spayed Snowy.

“Even though it had only been a couple of weeks, it felt like months since the last time I’d seen her,” remembered Olivia P. “As soon as I left my apartment, I knew my life was changed forever.”

When she arrived at the Adoption Center, Olivia P. was brought into a room where she sat anxiously awaiting her meeting with Snowy. The last time she laid eyes on the husky, she was timid, had no life to her and was a shell of a dog. Now, Olivia P. wasn’t sure what her personality would be like.

“Olivia opened the door and in comes trotting this big husky! She was so much bigger than I remember her from the night that I rescued her because she had put on weight,” recalled Olivia P.  “She ran around the whole room, played with toys and then she ran up to me, and I crouched down and we kind of just looked at each other. It felt like such a surreal moment, like here we are. She gave me a kiss and my heart melted. I felt so lucky that I got to be the one to take her home. It just felt like a full circle moment.”

Olivia P. brought Snowy home to her apartment that same day.

Making Improvements

The day Snowy came home, she jumped right into playing with her new toys and making happy husky noises. However, Olivia P. quickly realized that her tiny studio apartment wasn’t big enough for the two of them.

“It was time for me to make a change,” said Olivia. “I really wanted to give her a home where she could grow up and have space and a backyard and peace and quiet. I was determined to give her the best life I could.”

The duo found a home in Jersey City that had everything they were looking for.

In their new home, Snowy’s personality has begun to shine. She’s become a chatty girl, always letting people know that she has the best husky howl in town. She also adores squeaky toys and chasing Olivia around the house and backyard.

Despite initial fears of Snowy not being a cuddler, Olivia was thrilled to find out that Snowy loves to snuggle up on the couch! The pair spend a lot of their time curled up watching TV.

Olivia has also been excited about Snowy’s puppy-like personality. At just a year old at the time of adoption, Olivia wasn’t sure she would ever have these characteristics after the life she had been through. However, she’s been pleasantly surprised by all her goofy antics, like stealing her socks and getting the zoomies.

Feeling Grateful

Its not all that often that adopters are able to say they’ve been with their pets since the beginning of their journey to a better life, but Olivia feels honored that she can.

“It makes me feel so happy and grateful that I’ve been able to be a part of Snowy’s journey since day one all the way up until now. I can’t think of a better feeling,” she explained. “I feel so lucky that she’s mine. I feel lucky that I get to play with her every day, that I get to love her, that I get to provide for her. I always strive to do right by her. I always want to give her the best of the best. It’s what she deserves. I cherish every single moment with her, she is just the light of my life, the apple of my eye — and she knows it. I feel whole now that we are together.”

And it’s not just Oliva P. whose life has been changed by Snowy. Olivia D. feels just as grateful that she has been able to give Snowy a second chance at life.

“It is honestly the highlight of my career working in animal welfare,” said Olivia D. “I have worked with a lot of animals over my last four years in this field, but I don't feel like I've made as personal or impactful difference in an animal's life as I have with Snowy. If I think about it too hard, I honestly tear up. That dog has left as much of an impact on my life as I have on hers, and being able to stay in her life post-adoption through my newfound friendship with Olivia is the most rewarding part.”

For Olivia P., one of the best parts of adopting Snowy was the realization that adopting a new dog wasn’t replacing her late dog Brogan, instead she was honoring him by helping more animals in need.

“There are probably a lot of people who have lost a pet that are scared to open their heart and love again, but as Snowy has shown me, there are so many dogs out there that are in need, and if you have love to give and a home to provide, there’s no reason not to do it now. I’ve gotten over the fear of loving another animal because the joy in every single moment I get to spend with her is exponentially worth it. There are so many dogs and animals in shelters that need a safe home, and if you’re someone that loves animals, there’s no reason not to do it. You just need a little nudge, and thankfully I had Snowy to give me the nudge.”