A Chihuahua left at a shelter with a note saying she 'deserves a better life' is on the road to recovery

• A dog was left at an Austin shelter in "shocking condition," the shelter said on Facebook.
• Fruit Punch the Chihuahua came with a note saying she is "very sweet and deserves a better life."

Fruit Punch, a 2-year-old Chihuahua, was surrendered to Austin Pets Alive!, a no-kill animal shelter in Austin, Texas, in early August — but she didn't come empty-pawed.

According to a Facebook post by the shelter on August 9, Fruit Punch came with a note from her previous owner reading, "She is very sweet and deserves a better life."

The shelter wrote that, when Fruit Punch arrived, she was "covered in pressure sores, urine, and feces," and was "shockingly thin," even for a Chihuahua, which normally weigh at most 6 pounds, according to the American Kennel Club.

But in the last week, Fruit Punch has made a "remarkable recovery," Allison Swearingen, the dog adoption manager at Austin Pets Alive!, told Insider.

"She is walking around, healing, and acting more and more like the sweet puppy she is," Swearingen said.

Fruit Punch was put in a foster home on Thursday, Swearingen said, adding, "We are thrilled the foster community stepped up."

"Fruit Punch's recovery will take weeks to get back to her normal weight and recover from her injuries, but she will be in a home recovering now," she said.