Stanley is a five-year-old Pit Bull in Simi Valley, CA, who needs $2,000 for urgent surgery.

To see Stanley's emaciated body and legs struggling to walk is heartbreaking.

The sweet boy ended up at an animal shelter after officers discovered him while responding to a call about animal abuse. He was spared from death at the shelter when Southern California Pit Bull Rescue saved him.

"The animal control officer saw Stanley and stated he could barely walk," Mark R., from the nonprofit group, tells Waggle. "His little body was covered in foxtails. He actually had foxtails that were embedded into his tongue. He had to be sedated to remove them from his tiny little body. he weighed a mere 31 pounds -- about 15 pounds underweight."

Even though Stanley has been extremely neglected, he's just a sweetheart of a little guy that craves human affection. The rescue feeds him nutrient-rich puppy food several times a day to nurse him back to health. They brought Stanley to a specialist at VSEC Veterinary Specialty and Emergency Center of Thousand Oaks to have his legs evaluated.

"We learned that both of his back kneecaps are out of the joints, which has caused him to rely heavily on his front legs to walk," Mark says. "He will require the surgical skills of an orthopedic surgeon to place his kneecaps back into the joints. He can only undergo surgery on one leg at a time."

Now the rescue is racing to save the day again-- this time to raise the money for Stanley's surgery.

"We are a nonprofit that relies on donations," Mark says. "Along with Stanley requiring surgery on his kneecaps, he also has several broken teeth that need to be extracted."