“Now she gets the much-needed love she deserves” 💕

Last December, Rosabella lay curled up in a ball to fend off the cold winter chill. Left in a Minnesota alleyway with nothing but a thin wire crate to protect her from the elements, Rosabella wouldn’t have survived much longer.

Thankfully, a rescue volunteer spotted the pup and rushed her to a safe, warm place.

It’s been nearly a year since that harrowing day, and Rosabella’s life has completely changed — for the better.

“She was only 19 pounds, when she should have been closer to 45 pounds,” Kelli Hanson, marketing and communications director of Ruff Start Rescue, told The Dodo. “We don’t know how long she waited [in the cold], but I think she was noticed fairly quickly.”

The volunteer worked quickly to free Rosabella and get her into the safety of the rescue, where she could get out of the cold.

“She was extremely loving and grateful to be warm,” Hanson said.

Rosabella soon found her forever home while she worked to get back to health. Now, the former stray is thriving. Her new mom offered an update, which the rescue noted in a Facebook post.

“After seeing her sad story on the news, I knew I had to reach out to see what I could do to help her,” Rosabella’s mom told Ruff Start Rescue. “Luckily, I was chosen to possibly adopt her.”

The woman introduced Rosabella to her dog, Lucy, and things went well.

“Lucy and I fell in love with her right away,” the post continued. “She is such a sweet girl, so happy and curious about everything. She follows us everywhere. She has definitely grown a lot, she’s healthy and very active.”