A South Korean dog who lost all four legs after being tied up and left to die in a trash can is being hailed as a hero in America.

Chi Chi, a four-year-old golden retriever, had to have all her legs amputated after she was rescued January 2016. Sadly, all of her legs were bound with rope when she was found, and veterinarians were unable to save the rotting flesh on her legs.

After Chi Chi’s legs were amputated, the American charity Rescue and Freedom Project took responsibility for her care.

The rescue group flew Chi Chi to Los Angeles, and she was adopted by Elizabeth Howell, 46, and her husband Richard, 46, who live in Phoenix. Chi Chi is currently a finalist in the American Humane Society’s annual Hero Dog Award, and she’s hoping to take home the top prize on September 29!

“Chi Chi has her own Instagram and Facebook pages and one of her followers recommended we nominate her for the award,” Elizabeth said. “She’s so inspiring and she has touched a lot of hearts. Chi Chi was rescued from South Korea. She was found in a trash bag with her legs bound. It’s hard to tell in the video but they are bound by some type of rope or wire.”

“She was found in the country, about five hours away from Seoul,” she continued. “They believe she was meant for the dog meat farms, but because her legs were necrotizing she wasn’t of use to them. So they just abandoned her. They were basically going to euthanize her, but they had second thoughts. Even though she was so hurt, she seemed to have a will to live and was wagging her tail. She loved being petted. So they made the decision to drive her to Seoul where vets were forced to amputate parts of her legs. She stayed in Korea until mid March recovering. We first saw Chi Chi in a video posted by the Rescue and Freedom Project.”

“It really captured my heart and I just couldn’t stop thinking about her,” Elizabeth added. “I spoke to my husband about her and we decided to reach out to the rescue and find out a little bit more about her. It’s been 18 months since the Howells adopted Chi Chi, who now uses prosthetic legs, but said the joy she has brought to their family has been overwhelming.”

Elizabeth and Richard have three children as well as three other rescue dogs, but it didn’t take long for Chi Chi to fit right in!

“We quickly fell in love with Chi Chi. We loved her spirit and she radiated love,” Elizabeth said. “It was amazing to me that even though she was so horribly treated, she still had that fighting spirit. Chi Chi’s never give up attitude has had a huge impact on all of our lives. We’re going to a special gala at the end of the month in Los Angeles and we think she is so deserving of the Hero Dog award.”

Find out more about Chi Chi in the video below!