Romeo seems to be doing quite well in these dog days of summer. But that was the hardly case for the yellow lab a few months ago.

“He had a few injuries; he had a few scrapes and different things,” says Amanda Robertson, a local veterinarian now caring for the once-abused dog.

Pictures from a neighbor's camera shows abuse allegedly at the hands of Romeo's owner, Ronald Shawn Turner. Since Turner's arrest and a short stay at the animal shelter, Romeo is now in the care of a Somerset veterinarian.

“He loves to run and play and loves to eat food. He gets a lot of attention. We've kind of made him all our own. Our animal,” says Robertson.

A lot of people in the Somerset area want to adopt Romeo, but first the case against Ronald Shawn Turner must clear the courts and the prosecutor says Turner must agree to forfeit the dog.

Turner is already in some new hot water, though. His animal cruelty charges haven't been resolved and court records show that he was arrested earlier this month for DUI and drug possession charges. The local humane society doesn't want Romeo back with Turner, and the veterinarians say he needs a good home with good people.

“He needs somebody with children, too. He's someone who needs a lot of attention. Lots of energy,” says Robertson.

So far about 14 people make up the short list of people who want to adopt him.