He’s finally learning to be a puppy again.

Spyder started life neglected and ignored before being dumped on the streets of North Carolina. He was abandoned along with his friend and unfortunately his friend didn’t make it — but even after his friend had passed, Spyder stayed by his side, refusing to leave his best friend all alone.

Poor Spyder was starving and dehydrated, but still stayed with his friend instead of going off to try and find help. His sense of loyalty was too strong, and he couldn’t bear to leave his friend behind. Finally, someone noticed him clinging to his friend, and immediately called for help. Animal control was able to come out and rescue him, and take him to a local shelter to finally get the care he needed.

“He was very wary of people when he was picked up but I think also relieved to see help because he was so weak and emaciated himself and covered in open wounds,” Jacquelyn O’Sullivan of Rescue Dogs Rock NYC told The Dodo. “He wouldn’t have made it much longer on his own, especially out there alone.”

Since the scared little dog was found on Halloween, and was also all black, rescuers decided to name him Spyder.

After being examined at the shelter, staff found that Spyder had parasites, overgrown nails, patches of missing fur and infected wounds all over his body. He had a body score of one out of nine, meaning he was severely emaciated, and was also dehydrated and anemic. The shelter was worried the 11-month-old dog was a bit too medically challenged for them to care for properly, so they reached out to Rescue Dogs Rock NYC, which quickly agreed to take him in.

Spyder was taken to the rescue’s vet partner in South Carolina, where he was immediately started on IV fluids and antibiotics. The little dog only weighed 15 pounds when he arrived, and clearly has a long way to go before he will be fully recovered. Staff are confident that he’ll make a full recovery, though, as he seems to be getting better and better every day.

“He’s still shy and a little wary of strangers but he’s doing better,” O’Sullivan said. “He’s getting a little stronger every day. He’s got a long road back both physically and mentally.”

Spyder is an incredibly loyal dog who refused to leave his best friend’s side even after he’d passed, and has also proved that he’s a little fighter, and can survive through the worst of circumstances. His sweet personality is already starting to shine through a bit, and once he makes a full recovery he’ll be able to go on to find a forever family to give him all of the love and attention he never had before.