Franky was four-months-old when he was thrown out of a second-story window and, minutes later, tossed into a Dumpster.

Had the incident not been witnessed by a neighbor, that would likely have been the end of Franky.

But a neighbor saw what happened and called authorities, and Franky ended up getting treated for dehydration, shock and a shattered pelvis.

Now Franky's the poster boy for Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter's (BARCS) new Fund for Sick and Injured Animals.

(That's him to the left, in a photo provided by BARCS.)

Franky's ordeal served as inspiration for the new fund, which started this month and will use public donations to pay for emergency medical care for animals so seriously abused, neglected and injured that -- until now -- they would likely have been euthanized to end their suffering.

Every year, BARCS receives hundreds of sick and injured animals, many of which are in need of immediate, specialized and often expensive medical care, said Jennifer Mead-Brause, executive director.

Often, the shelter was unable to find anyone to cover the medical costs needed to save a dog or cat's life, she said. Now, with support from the public, when a critically sick animal comes into the shelter the funding will be in place to spring into action.

An Animal control officer responding to the call from the neighbor who witnessed Franky's abuse took Franky to BARCS, which sent him to Everhart Animal Hospital. Everhart gave BARCS a discount on the treatment, which included repairing a shattered pelvis, and the new fund paid for the rest, Mead- Brause said.

After that, the Humane Society of Baltimore County took Franky in and cared for him until he was adopted.

The pepetrator, meanwhile, escaped charges because police couldn't gather enough evidence against him, Mead-Brause said.

Since it was created, the fund has also been used to provide care for a badly burned dog that was  picked up recently by animal control officers.

The dog's original owner didn't know how the dog was burned, but she suspected neighborhood drug dealers set him on fire to stop him from barking at them, Mead-Brause said. No charges were filed in that case, either.

At BARCS, the dog was given a new name -- "Singe" -- and taken to Anne Arundel Animal Hospital, where the fund was used to pay the discounted medical bills.

"Singe" was taken in by Recycled Love, which is providing foster care. He is available for adoption.

To find out more about the fund go the BARCS website and click on the link for the Fund for Sick and Injured Animals, or call BARCS at 410-396-4695.