During one of the worst snowstorms that we had this year, a small dog was spotted on one of the busiest roads in town. The animal was almost hit multiple times as it ran out in the middle of the road. Two school teachers stopped on their way to work to try and help the tiny little animal, but were unsuccessful. A gentleman in a truck, determined to catch it, followed the dog slowly until it reached a point where it just sat down. He opened the door and the dog hopped in.
The condition of this dog was not good. She was missing the fur on her hindquarters, probably due to the extreme amount of fleas she had. She was so matted that it was hard to even find her face. Both ears were severely infected to the point they were sensitive to touch. She was clearly not spayed and was having a false pregnancy. What was she doing out in the snowstorm and the bitter cold and running loose on a busy road? While the circumstances of her life up until then were unclear, one thing that we do know is that she needs medical attention.
This kind gentleman brought the dog to The Ark and before he left he asked if we could update him on her situation once we knew what is going on.
We quickly got her to the vet to be treated for fleas, ear infections and malnutrition. Everything was documented and we quickly notified animal welfare on how to proceed. Once we had all of our documentation, we got her cleaned up, removed all the mats and we found the sweetest little dog under all of the filth and mats. She weighed only 8 pounds. We named her Stormy since she was found out in the snowstorm. By this time she was hungry and exhausted. Once her belly was full she settled in for a nap.
That night, Stormy was placed in foster care. Her foster mom took such good care of her and reported that she was perfectly housebroken and loved to play fetch, but most of all she just loved attention. It was clear that someone must have loved this little girl at one time, but it was also clear that love couldn’t treat her ear infections or get her groomed, treat her fleas or even get her spayed. All of these things cost money and these are all necessary things that need to be done when you own an animal.
After a month of recovery time for Stormy, she was finally ready to be spayed. Once spayed, she was put up for adoption. The day we posted her, the phone did not stop ringing. Stormy was adopted that very day by a wonderful couple. These days Stormy can’t decide if she wants to curl up with her new dad or her new mom. They couldn’t love her more.
So many wonderful people were involved in Stormy’s rescue. Total strangers felt the need to get involved and save a life. The gentleman that brought her in followed her progress every inch of the way and he and his wife helped pay for Stormy’s vet bills. The two teachers took the time to make a difference and they followed her story and made a donation toward the vet bills. One became her foster mom.
This little girl stole their hearts. It is wonderful to see what many people do for the love of an animal.
The whole time we had Stormy, there was not even one phone call by any one looking for a missing dog. Kind of sad, but in the end Stormy couldn’t have found a better home with a new mom and dad who love her very much.
I leave you with one thought. Animals are not free – they cost money. There are grooming bills, vet bills, along with multiple other things. Please do not make an animal pay the price because you haven’t thought things out. Make sure you can afford an animal before you get one. It is the right thing to do.
Thank you for your continued support and as always thank you for reading our column.
