Dog Gets Hit by a Car and Left for Dead. A Month Later, Officials Find the Pet Alive and Eager for Help

It’s wheels up on a new life for Hangar Hank.

This year, the rescue dog was hit by a car on a rural Louisiana road near an airport and was left for dead by the driver. Miraculously, Hank managed to survive on his own with debilitating injuries for close to a month, at which point St. Landry Parish Animal Control discovered the canine.

Officers found Hank barely hanging on to life and in desperate need of treatment for the large wounds all over his body caused by the car accident.

Thankfully, this is where Hank’s luck started to change. St. Landry Parish Animal Control collected the ailing dog and contacted the BISSELL Pet Foundation, a nonprofit that supports animal welfare organizations and provides pet care resources to underserved communities.

“Whenever there is an animal medical emergency in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, the shelter knows to contact me directly. I got the call that Hank had been hit by a car right in front of the airport, and I told them to send him straight to Lafayette Vet Care — BISSELL Pet Foundation works regularly with that clinic to make sure pets get the care they need,” Cathy Bissell, BISSELL Pet Foundation’s founder, tells PEOPLE.

Bissell was instantly moved by the hard times Hank had endured alone and committed to helping the dog recover and find a loving family. After getting to know Hangar Hank — a name inspired by his airport rescue location — Bissell became even more enamored with the canine.

“This case really stuck with me. His injuries were so severe — his skin was torn on all sides of his body, his ears were damaged, and he was clearly in terrible pain. And yet, he was the sweetest, most gentle brindle blockhead. Even with everything he’d been through, he let the nurses and doctors examine him without a single growl,” she shares.

Bissell sees Hank’s survival story as another example of a dog’s inherent emotional strength.

“With the condition he was in — the torn skin, the trauma — it’s nothing short of a miracle that he held on long enough to be found. But dogs are resilient in a way that humbles me every single day. I think it was his heart. That quiet strength, that will to survive,” Bissell says.

The BISSELL Pet Foundation covered Hank’s extensive medical costs, so the dog had a chance to recover and find a home. Hank spent nearly a month at Lafayette Vet Care healing from his severe injuries and regaining his strength.

After his recovery, Bissell posted the dog’s profile on social media in search of his forever family. Several animal lovers responded quickly, but one family in particular stood out to the founder.

“They said Hank was exactly the dog they’d been waiting for—one who needed them. His picture tugged at their hearts. They told me they had all the love in the world to give—and they wanted to give it to him,” Bissell recalls.

After telling the Grand Rapids, Mich., family that they would be Hank’s new owners, Bissell personally chauffeured Hank from Louisiana to the Great Lakes State.

“When the family came to meet him, they got right down on the ground to pet him, comforting him, loving him, and letting him know he was finally safe. Watching that moment unfold — it was exactly why we do this work,” Bissell says of the moment Hank met his new family.

Today, Hank is fully settled into his new home. While the dog still has several scars from his hit-and-run accident, his demeanor is all sunshine.

“His family absolutely adores him and says he’s the sweetest, most loving dog,” Bissell shares, adding, “Hank has always been a resilient, sweet boy — his spirit never wavered, even through the toughest times. Physically, while he’s healed so much, though those scars will always be part of his story, emotionally, he’s finally receiving the love and care he’s always deserved. He’s thriving now.”

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Hank is one of a million pets impacted by the BISSELL Pet Foundation through its national rescue, adoption, transport, and spay/neuter initiatives since its founding in 2011.

“This milestone is a testament to the shelters, rescues, and advocates working tirelessly every day to give pets a second chance,” Bissell says. “While we celebrate 1 million pets impacted, our mission continues — too many pets still need help, and we won’t stop until every pet has a loving home.”

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