Axel has embraced a new, happier chapter of his life; now he just needs someone to share it with.

The dog is currently under the care of Ollie's Angels Animal Rescue , and has been since Dec. 2023. Axel ended up at the foster-based animal welfare organization based in Long Island, New York, after a journey of "incredible resilience and heartbreaking hardship," according to Ollie's founder, Melissa Bielawski.

Before moving to Ollie's, Axel was living as a stray in South Carolina and ended up caught in a trap.

"After being caught in a trap, he chewed off the end of his own foot to free himself. He was then taken to a South Carolina high-kill shelter, where his injuries were so severe that he was placed on the immediate euthanasia list," Bielawski tells PEOPLE.

Thankfully, before euthan

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