NEED TO KNOW

• An animal rescue shares updates about a dog who “would have frozen to death” if a passerby did not rescue him on Dec. 1, 2025

• The pit bull mix, named Elfie, is “adjusting” to his new life, according to the Montgomery County SPCA

• Elfie was found abandoned and chained to a tree in “freezing weather,” police previously said

Over two months after he was found abandoned and chained to a tree in New York, a dog is “adjusting” to his new life!

A man found the pup, a white pit bull mix, chained up next to a bike path while he was out walking his own dog during “freezing weather” in Amsterdam, N.Y., on Dec. 1, 2025, according to the Amsterdam Police Department (APD)

The man alerted police, who used bolt cutters to free the dog, which was then taken to the Montgomery County SPCA (MCSPCA) for further care. At the time, police said that if the man had not spotted him, “the dog would have frozen to death.”

In the weeks following the rescue, the MCSPCA has shared several updates on how the pit bull mix — since named Elfie — is recovering in the wake of the life-threatening incident.

In the latest update, shared on Facebook on Feb. 19, the non-profit said that Elfie “is adjusting so well to his new life,” alongside photos of the pup curled up, snoozing, in a home.

“He loves to play with toys and sleep in the sun,” the animal rescue wrote. “He is learning stay and place. We are in the beginning stages of training.”

The MCSPCA also shared a snapshot of the dog sleeping in a man’s lap, and added, “He also thinks he is a lap dog.” Wrote the rescue: “Thank you for saving Elfie, he is an amazing boy.”

In an earlier update post on Jan. 5, the MCSPCA shared even more photos of the white pit bull mix. In the snaps, the dog looks into the camera and sticks out his tongue as someone off-camera washes him in a large sink.

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When Elfie was first rescued, police shared a video of the moment he was discovered.

In the clip, the dog stands barking, tethered to a tree with a short metal chain. As the person behind the camera approaches the pit bull, the dog growls and barks while standing in a fearful crouch.

The New York State Humane Society previously offered up a $1,000 reward for “any information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person responsible” for abandoning the dog. According to the APD, the individual or individuals responsible will face felony charges.

PEOPLE has reached out to APD and the New York State Humane Society for updates.

At the time of Elfie’s rescue, the APD also advised anyone who sees an animal left in the cold to contact police.

“Anyone seeing a dog tied outside in bad weather, especially in an area it shouldn’t be, should contact their local police department immediately,” the police department emphasized in their post.

Read the original article on People