Splinter the dog and Halifax artist David Johnston only met last week, but they already have an undeniable bond.

Splinter was in bad shape when Johnston found her wandering through Point Pleasant Park alone.

“It’s shaking and cold and it’s a little matted and we’re looking around and there’s no collar, no nothing, obviously hungry and in distress. We’re like ‘Ok, we’ll take her home and see if we can find her owner.’”

A Facebook post didn't find the owners, but it created a network of people who wanted to help David rescue Splinter.

“Between Facebook and the Nova Scotia Lost Dog Network, everybody has been sharing. It’s been shared thousands of times.”

When David found her, Splinter weighed just nine pounds and was clearly neglected.

“She was famished for sure. She was definitely hungry, shaken, and timid, she was always whimpering too. Her ears were caked – like they were swollen inside. She’s missing a tooth; she’s got an exposed one which is right now not a huge issue, but in the next six months we’ll have to take care of that.”

People have also been stepping up to help pay for vet bills.

“Not to toot our own horn, but we know now that she’s got all the support she needs, and if ever anything crazy came up, I know I got a lot of backup support from a lot of my friends in the business, the rescue business. Even the vet waved a $90.00 checkup fee, because they heard about her. So it’s a very good thing, it’s a feel good story but it’s also one with a positive result – results you can see and touch.”

David’s girlfriend gave Splinter her unique name.

“It’s from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – she looks like a sewer rat, her hair is all over the place. It’s just kind of perfect, if you look at these old pictures of Splinter from the internet he kind of looks like her.”

David says Splinter’s story now has a happy ending.

“She fits in your hand, it’s not like she takes up a lot of room. She eats half a cup of food a day, so we thought - this is kind of bonus. She’s kind of like little blessing, a surprise gift.”

With files from CTV Atlantic’s Jayson Baxter