Found emaciated and near death, Billy is now a Facebook star

When Krista Kells first sawBilly dart across hercomputer screen, she immediately knew this was a dog in dire need of urgent help.

The footage wascaptured by a camera placed in the woods outside of Woodstock, Ont. The camera is one of a string of "trail cameras" put there by her husband, a hunter who uses them to monitor the presence of deer and other game in hunting grounds.

Krista took a closer look.

"I said 'That's not a deer, that's a dog. And he looks really skinny."

Thatwasback in late August.

Convinced the dog would perish without arapid rescue, Krista contacted local rescue groups for help.

The searchers went to the spot where the dog was caught on camera.

After scouring the area for a few hours, one of the searchers gave a whistle. A white head popped up from the bush.

The dog could hear their calls but couldn't come. He was so too weak to move.

"When you hear 'next to death,' that's what he was. He couldn't stand up on his own anymore," said Krista.

Billy, believed to be a cross between a boxer and American bulldog and about two years old, was emaciated and covered in bites across his hind end. His wounds are believed to be the work of coyotes. He'd been out in the bush for some time. He should have weighed about 60 pounds, but tipped the scales at 24.

"The vetsfigure he wouldn't have lasted another night outdoors," said Kells. "And they weren't even sure he was going to last over the next couple of days at the vets. He was skin and bones."

Krista's husband's name is Bill and so they started to call the dog Billy.

He was taken to a vet emergency clinic in London, where he was stabilized and treated.

Keeping Billy alive in the days after his rescue didn't come cheap.The bill was $5,700 after the first week.

A YouCaring.com page was set up for Billy and posted on Facebook.

"The community just went crazy and donated,' said Krista.

In the end, more than $8,000 was raised before they shut down the donation site.

After hisweek in the emergency clinic, Krista decided to foster Billy in her home. She first had to make sure Billy could get along with her German Shepherdand basset hound(he did) and her two cats (a work in progress).

To gain weight, he was fed special protein-rich cat food one spoonful at a time. As the weeks went by he gained weight and got better. Also, he became something of a social media star.

Krista's posts with photos and updatesabout Billy's recovery were widely shared.

Soon the volume of comments began to overwhelm social media pagesand drown out posts about other missing animals.

Billy had become so popular, Krista created his own Facebook page called Billy's Life Journey.

The page now has more than 5,000 likes with fans across the globe who follow every update.

"He got really popular really fast," said Krista.

Some people came forward to claim Billy as their dog, but when they couldn't correctly answer basic questions, Krista knew their claims weren't legitimate.

Meanwhile, his rehab is an ongoing process. Being malnourished for so long means his front legs are slightly bowed.

But he's also settling in for his first Christmas with the Kells family. He's also hit 55 pounds, more than double his weight when he was found.

"He's a great dog, he's really settled in."

Krista says the story of Billy's comeback is a good antidote to the bad news that tends to fill up most Facebook feeds.

"It's such a feel-good story," she said. "There's so much depressing news, I think people just really are moved by his story."