Like any family man, Cory Snyder was preoccupied that day with kids, pets and errands.

But when the off-duty Albuquerque police officer spotted what he thought was a coyote on N.M. 14, it was obvious to him that whatever was left on his list would have to wait.

Snyder wasn't the only driver March 17 who stopped to help the clearly distressed animal. Another driver pulled over south of Madrid around milepost 23 to take a look at the critter.

What they saw still haunts Snyder: A severely malnourished dog, hairless except for a thick coat around his neck and face; cactus barbs everywhere, including a cluster on the canine's snout.

"He came right up to us," Snyder said. "His feet were full of cactus. You could see his bones; I thought someone had shaved him."

The dog was gentle and trusting enough that Snyder was able to start pulling off the cactus barbs, including the huge one on his nose. The dog didn't object.

Snyder, who has several dogs and a cat at home, happened to have dog kibble in his vehicle. So he handed the homeless dog handfuls of the kibble, which the dog gobbled up quickly. And just as quickly threw up.

Snyder's first thought was to get the dog some help. But how?

As luck would have it, Santa Fe County Sheriff's Deputy Brian Nissen also was on that stretch of highway. He pulled over after recognizing Snyder, and alerted county animal control about the dog's plight. The glitch, however, was that it would take about 30 minutes before a van arrived.

One driver in a Lexus argued with the men, Snyder said, worried that animal control would put the dog down. But the driver wasn't willing to put the bloodied skeleton of a dog in her vehicle. She took off, leaving the men to keep an eye on the ailing hound.

The dog was almost too happy for human contact, Snyder said. Every time the dog wagged his tail with joy, blood splattered the men from the tail's oozing sores.

But the men were happy to come to the dog's aid, and when animal-control officer Paul Saiz arrived, they went back to their busy schedules.

Dubbed by the shelter staff as Kermit and sometimes Kermie, the German shepherd mix is slowly gaining weight. How the dog wound up in his condition remains a mystery, said Bill Hutchison, the shelter's communications director, despite a $500 reward for information.

"It's not unexpected," said Hutchison, who on Friday was cooking a mix of chicken, rice and spinach for the dog. "And as far as Kermit goes, I think he's pretty satisfied now. He doesn't care if whoever did this gets prosecuted or not."

It's likely that Kermit was confined to a place where he had access to water but not food. Shelter officials say the severity of his malnourishment indicates he hadn't been fed for at least two months. It's hard to know if the dog was intentionally starved or simply abandoned.

Kermit's road to health has been slow, Hutchison said, and he's only gained about five pounds. But the shelter staff and many in the community have bonded with the dog. "Everyone's pulling for him," he said.

Most visitors have trouble putting the somewhat ghastly visual image of the dog together with the dog's outward exuberance of life. The "super sweet" dog remains obsessed about retrieving but still looks like a Day of the Dead figure.

He's now sporting a soft fuzz on the bald part of his body and blood tests show the dog is not suffering from any metabolic illness, said Mary Martin, the shelter's executive director. That means the skin condition is largely the result of starvation.

Shelter veterinarians decided to neuter him about two weeks ago in hopes of accelerating the dog's healing. Antibiotics seem to be doing the trick on curbing an infection he caught last week.

It was hoped he'd be well enough to go to a foster home this past Friday, most likely with a shelter staff member, Hutchison said. That way, his progress can be closely monitored, and a home environment will aid his recovery.

Community response to the dog's plight has been amazing, Hutchison said. More than $2,000 has been raised for the dog's medical costs and rehabilitation. Claudia Inoue of Toy Auto Man, who normally raises funds for the shelter's spay-and-neutering program by selling handmade origami peace cranes, dedicated her efforts to Kermit, raising
$555 in one week.

Snyder has yet to visit the dog, but said he'd like to see how Kermit has improved. Snyder has rescued lost and loose dogs before, but this animal was on a different plane.

"I've never seen anything like that before," he said, "in all of my law enforcement — he was so malnourished and destitute."

Those with information about how Kermit ended up in his condition may call Hutchison at 983-4309, ext. 139. Callers can remain anonymous.

Donations are still being accepted.

See more photos of Kermit at SantaFeScoop.com.