If you know anything about me, or halfway pay attention to this blog, you know I'm a definite animal lover.
So when Mom, Tiff, and I left the house Sunday morning to go for a run...imagine the beat my heart skipped when I saw this little guy laying limp in the road on the hot pavement...scared to death.
In the first moments of seeing him, I wasn't sure if he was a wild coyote or what. With his coloring and those ears standing straight up, it sure alarmed me. But we quickly realized this was a little injured doggy, in need of some immediate help. Tiff ran back to the house to get some water and a towel, and to tell my step-dad, Johnny, about the situation. Mom attempted to get close to him, wary that he might be aggressive considering his condition. She slowly gained his trust and our little friend allowed Mom to pet him. I met Tiff to get the water, and when the little guy saw H2O, he mustered whatever energy he had to hydrate.
Mom slowly gained his trust, and knowing his back end had more than likely been run over from the way he was limping and the obvious open wounds, she carefully lifted his front end into the car. We should've left him in the car, but we got him out when we drove back to our driveway - just not thinking ahead about what we were going to have to do with him.
After debating whether to wait until vets offices were open on Tuesday (remember - this is Sunday morning), and thinking about what emergency vets were available and closest, we decided it was in his best interest to get him to the emergency vet as soon as we could. Fort Smith had an emergency clinic open, but our little friend decided he wasn't going to let us pick him up again. You could tell he had a good temperament and probably wouldn't bite, but he was snarling his teeth if you even looked like you were going to touch his back end, and it was quite intimidating!
So we had to get creative. We eventually used our Baggo game to build a ramp into the back of my mom's car, then corralled him using window screens and tables. This totally freaked him out, of course, but we were able to lift the blanket he was on in the section we corralled him into, and lifted him into the car. He was pretty darn comfortable on the ride to Fort Smith, but it was another battle getting him muzzled and out of the car once we were at the vet.
Anywho - let's jump to the happy ending of this here little animal rescue. Our newfound friend, whom we named Uncle Sam, had been limping around in our neighborhood for 2-3 days, in the sweltering heat, with open wounds that were infected. He had been run over by a car and had bad road rash. Amazingly, x-rays showed he escaped having any broken bones! The vet said he probably "pancaked" on the road right before he was hit, and that the inside of both back legs took a lot of the impact. His back right leg was severely swollen and pretty infected. I don't think he could've made it another day with the infection and dehydration.
We were able to take him home Sunday night with pain meds, anti-inflammatories, and antibiotics. He woke up Monday morning with a new attitude! He scarfed down some food, drank some water, and even came running to Mom and I with his tail wagging! He still has a long road to recovery, both physically and emotionally, but he's going to be just fine!
Here are some pics of Sam...
This definitely was not how we planned on spending our Sunday, but Mom and I are sure glad we stopped for a dog this morning. Our new Blue Heeler friend, Sam, deserves the same humane treatment we would be sure to give any of our own pets. I just don't understand how people could pass him by and disregard his conditions. Saving a dog in a condition like this is not easy for sure - it takes time, patience, earning trust, and money, but I would gladly give up my plans on any given day and surrender my credit card to help an animal in need (in this case - my Mom did, and Sam and I are thankful for that!).
God forbid Duke ever gets loose and something like this happens, but if it did, I sure hope someone would stop for my baby. Maybe this makes me weird, but most days I'd rather spend time with my furry friends than any human. I'm going to have to be committed when I loose my babies!
I'll keep you updated on Sam. Mom and Johnny haven't decided if they are going to keep him. That breed is very active and needs lots of exercise and room to roam, so they are looking into finding someone who might want him after they get him on the men and get him neutered and vaccinated. In the meantime, say a prayer for our Sam boy and love on your puppies and kitties!
