A little pup that was cut with a rusty knife and then buried alive on a beach is starting to make a recovery after being rescued.

Little Leialoha the dog was discovered under the sands of O’ahu beach ‘incredibly swollen, sunburned and missing 90 per cent of her fur’ on Tuesday.

PAWS of Hawaii was alerted to the dog’s burial site by a Good Samaritan who spotted a man burying her in the sand.

The poor thing was horribly sunburned, covered in sores, nearly bald, had cuts on her legs, and was in terrible condition. The pup, now named Leialoha, was rushed straight to Aloha Affordable Veterinary Services where she was looked over and cared for by veterinarians. 

After a public plea to find a two-month foster carer for the dog, Good Samaritan Amanda offered to take her in.

‘My heart was broken and I knew she needed us to foster her,’ Amanda wrote online. Previously, Amanda reported that after the dog’s first bath on Thursday Leialoha was ‘bleeding from every inch of her body.’

The first night was very difficult. She told us, “She smelled awful from being buried and her skin infections. She was very red and swollen. I tried to pick her up to move her from the travel kennel to a very large dog crate, but she cried. I honestly was not sure if she was going to make it through the night.”

‘Last night, she came out, while we had friends over to see what was for dinner and has been liking being under the coffee table,’ Amanda wrote. ‘She has a long way to go, but the worst is over.’

Thanks to the patient loving care of Amanda and her family, Leialoha is living a happy and healthy life. Amanda told us, “She is very high energy and wants to play all day long. She is also very vocal and demands your attention, haha. She is a really sweet girl though and loves everyone. You would have no idea that anyone had ever hurt her.” 

Stories like Leialoha’s remind us that love conquers all! Our deep thanks go out to the Krasniewski family, PAWS of Hawaii and everyone who donated to help write this very happy ending!