NORWICH – When Dawn Chrisbacher spotted Maggie, a 4-month-old terrier-retriever puppy on the side of Reservoir Road in the Town of Norwich, the animal was scathed, bleeding and fighting for its life.

Chrisbacher, owner of a gently used clothing store in Norwich called Great Finds by Dawn, said she never expected to play hero on the day she found Maggie (the name she gave the dog). She first spotted the pup when driving her granddaughter to a babysitter near Plymouth Reservoir. Not knowing exactly what she saw near the edge of the road bank, she said she didn’t think much of it at first.

“I caught a glimpse of white out of the corner of my eye,” she explained. “I dropped my granddaughter off at the sitter and pulled over to the side of the road on the way back ... It was a dog that was left to die.”

The pup was badly wounded and underweight, she recalled. Maggie’s ribs were unmistakable and the large gashes on her paws, legs, and underside - evidence of being tossed on the road from a moving vehicle - were bleeding badly. But most terrifying, said Chrisbacher, were the scores of maggots feeding on the open wounds and Maggie’s right eye.

“I didn’t notice it at first,” Chrisbacher said, “but later, I realized that she really smelled like dead, rotting meat.”

Chrisbacher was joined by another passing motorist - a horse farmer who lived nearby. The two gently wrapped Maggie in a spare blanket and placed her in the back seat of Chrisbacher’s car to be taken to Pet Street Station Animal Hospital on county Road 32 in Norwich.

“I didn’t expect her to make it. They named her ‘Zombie Dog’ when she came in,” Chrisbacher remembered. “One of the eyes was so severely being eaten, they weren’t sure if (Maggie) could ever use it again ... She was so bad, I told them if they had to euthanize her, I would understand.”

Vets found evidence of abuse and neglect that existed long before Maggie was left on the side of the road. She was malnourished and some of the older wounds on Maggie’s body showed signs of infection.

But despite her condition, Maggie hung in. She remained at Pet Street for nine more days, showing just a little more improvement with each passing day. “They did an awesome job with her,” said Chrisbacher. “They cleaned her, stitched up her wounds, and kept her on an IV for a little while.”