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Animal Rescue Stories
about Good Samaritans for Pets
Inspire Sunbear Squad website readers to act by sharing reading animal rescue stories about real people in everyday situations. E-mail your animal rescue story in 250 words or less. We reserve the right to edit for conciseness and clarity. E-mail a link to a newspaper article about an animal rescue, too, if the article describes the actions of the rescuer. Rescuers must be involved with the rescue; phone calls to authorities are not involved enough to ensure a story will be published on this page.
Read about how Duke, above, was saved from death by a brave woman in the story titled "A Roadside Rescue in Texas." |
Desert Rescue by Train Conductors
Dog Saves 10-Year-Old Boy until Rescue by Fire Dept.
Hit and Run Dog Victim is Rescued
Stray Kitten Finds Love at a Wedding
Passerby Saves Dog Frozen to Train Tracks
Desert Rescue by Train Conductors
In late 2007, as his train rolled through western Utah, freight conductor Ken VanMoorhem saw a stray, mangy dog, lost in the desert. He was affected by her pathetic appearance and thought about her. He watched for the dog each time he traveled the route. Two months later, in February 2008, he saw her again, taking shelter in a train tunnel. This time, he took action. He told a fellow conductor Theo Bassett, who lived within driving distance, about the dog's approximate location. Bassett found her at the tunnel, and trustingly, she let him pick her up immediately. He fed her his ham sandwich and drove her home. Though suffering from a broken pelvis, other broken bones, collapsed lung, and a missing paw, she is expected to recover. The vet guessed that possibly she was caught in an animal trap and chewed her paw off to escape; that she had probably been hit by a car; and estimated that she had been surviving for months on her own. "The vet said she'll be able to have a good quality of life," said VanMoorhem, who has adopted her. "Her will to live and survive is amazing." He named her Hogan, named after the tunnel where he saw her the second time. Today, Hogan likes to play in the back yard with VanMoorhem and his other dog.
Saving Tiger Lily
One morning, my husband Stew heard what first sounded like a cat screeching from an altercation with another cat. Then the screeching became so unusually loud and intense that he ran outdoors to investigate. He saw three dogs chomping down on a four-pound kitten who was airborne, fighting for her life. Stew immediately jumped over the four-foot fence and pounced on the dogs to force them to let go of the kitty. Soon after, I ran out to find the terrified little thing (later named Tiger Lily) hiding under a dilapidated motorcycle. It did not take long for me to grab protective gloves and a small recovery cage for an immediate trip to the animal hospital. I thank God that the hospital could take her right away.
Her back left femur was fractured and completely severed, and remarkably, that was her only major injury. The animal hospital assured us that, once her leg heals fully from the surgery, she will be able to jump, climb and otherwise live a normal life. Even if she never wants to climb a tree again, it is comforting to know she will not be crippled for life.
Before the dog attack, Tiger Lily was a stray and she would not let us touch her nor come anywhere close to her. Now, as she recovers in a padded cage in our home, she is accepting love, food and medicine. She purrs as each of us holds her for long periods. I imagine she is warming up to us because she understands on some level that we are helping her with her broken leg. Speaking of which, her wounds are healing well after only a week. Thanks to my husband's bravery and love for animals, she has a safe indoor life ahead of her in a loving adoptive home, and with us until we locate such a home.
Thank you to Sunbear Squad readers who paid Tiger Lily's medical bill in full during February 2008! Tiger Lily continues to heal while basking in the love of her foster family. Your kind hearts made a difference; they have been struggling with unemployment's effect on household finances.
Dog Saves 10-Year-Old Boy until
Rescue by Fire Dept.
Merle is a 65-pound Golden Retriever from Evansville, Indiana. One day when she was out with her pet buddy Sam, she fell through the ice while chasing a stick. Terrified that his dog was in trouble, 10-year-old Glenn "Sam" Henderson tried to save her. But, he fell in as well. A neighbor heard his cries for help, luckily, and called the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Department.
Witnesses credit Merle with saving Sam's life. "We've never had anything quite like this. The whole time it looked like the dog was behind him, nudging him, keeping him up and pushing him toward the ice," said Goeff L. Rupe, medical officer for the fire department. "Once we got Sam into the boat, the only thing he said was, 'Get my dog.'"
Unhurt despite this ice plunge, Merle swan to the shore, and waited on the bank while Sam was rowed to safety. She continued pacing nervously waiting outside of the ambulance while Sam was stripped, dried off, and wrapped in a blanket. Sam had to be rushed to Deaconess Hospital so he could be treated for his hypothermia. Sam and Merle were reunited at home. "We'll have to find a nice steak bone for Merle," said Sam's father. As for Sam, Mr. Henderson said, "He can have whatever he wants to eat today but, much to his dislike, he's got some homework to do."
This story was written by Peter C. Jones and Lisa MacDonal, in "Hero Dogs: 100 True Stories of Daring Deeds" as reproduced in www.landofpuregold.com.
Hit-and-Run Dog Victim is Rescued
While driving to work one on Wednesday, July 26, 2006, a Good Samaritan passed an apparently dead dog laying in the median of a busy Austin, Texas highway. When she took one last look at the dog in her rear-view mirror, she saw the dog raise its head. The dog was still alive! She turned around and drove back to rescue the dog. Another car pulled over behind him—a local veterinarian, as luck would have it. The vet evaluated the dog, a border collie mix, who was barely conscious, emaciated, dehydrated, matted with burrs and infested with ticks, and had likely been on his own for weeks. Because of his dislocated pelvis and front leg, major head swelling, and numerous scrapes and bruises, the dog couldn't stand or walk. He would have suffered and died in the hot sun that day if not for his rescuers.
The vet was on her way out of town, but she called her clinic, Fur & Feathers Animal Clinic, to prepare them to accept delivery of the injured dog. The Good Samaritan rushed the dog to the clinic for treatment. Within two days, Elliot had begun to recover and could sit up. The Good Samaritan and her wife offered to foster the dog, now named Elliot, until he could find a home, and the veterinarian offered to discount treatment costs for Elliot. A local rescue, Austin Dog Alliance, offered to help Elliot find a home and help raise money for his treatment. He has since been adopted. Elliot is a very lucky dog!
Dogs Deserve Better
In the early afternoon hours of Sunday, March 19, 2006, I was travelling east on Interstate 94, headed back home to Hopkins after a weekend visit to my mother in Fergus Falls. As I passed the Sauk Centre exit, I saw some movement under the overpass, in the grassy area of the median. Initially, I thought it was a deer, but in driving past, I saw it was actually two dogs, a yellow lab and a golden retriever. I drove to the next turnaround and headed west to see if I could help get the dogs into my van and away from what I knew was a very dangerous situation. As I neared the overpass, I witnessed a horrendous sight. The golden retriever ran into traffic and was hit by an oncoming vehicle. The sight of this dog flying up in the air after impact is a memory that haunts me still as I try to fall asleep each night.
What transpired next is that I quickly got the yellow lab into my van, then the driver of the other vehicle lifted the golden retriever onto a blanket and placed him into the back of my van. The dog was still breathing at this point. After the driver and accompanying riders pressed a wad of cash into my hands (for any expenses related to the dying dog), I quickly got turned around and headed into Sauk Centre. A 9-1-1 operator connected me with a state trooper and a local police officer who led me to a vet clinic that was not far off the freeway.
The retriever died soon after arriving at the clinic. I was very surprised when the officers informed me that a veterinarian at the clinic confirmed that the golden retriever was his dog. It turns out the labrador retriever was owned by another veterinarian at the same clinic. Neither dog had I.D. tags on their collars. Dogs running loose not only face dangers from traffic, but also from a myriad of other dangers, such as eating poisons, antifreeze, etc. Veterinarians should be setting an example for all pet owners in the community by being responsible pet owners. The irony of this story is truly disturbing.
The money given to me by the man who hit the golden retriever was donated to "Rescue a Golden Retriever," a volunteer rescue organization in Hopkins, in memory of a beautiful dog who died way before his time and way too violently. I pray he has now passed over the Rainbow Bridge and is running free in fields of green, never to be hurt again.
—Twyla in Minnesota
Stray Kitten Finds Love at a Wedding
A while back my wife and I went to Lake Winter Haven Florida. I was going to be a groomsman/usher for a friend's wedding at Bok Tower Gardens. The night before the wedding I went outside our motel room for a walk. I heard a kitten meowing plaintively from the parking lot. After looking around, I spotted a tiny kitten, probably between 7 and 9 weeks old, hiding under a boat trailer. It was extremely shy—it took me about an hour to maneuver it into a place where I could pick it up. As soon as I picked the kitten up and she realized she was safe, she began purring loudly. Her eyes were a little crusted up, but otherwise she appeared to be in good shape.
We kept her in our motel room overnight—luckily it was a pet-friendly motel. We gave her water and a little bit of milk to hold her over until the morning.
The next morning we had to go to the wedding, and since it was an early Saturday morning in central Florida none of the vet offices or animal rescue places were open. We placed a towel in our empty carry-on bag and carried the kitten to the wedding. We left the bag open so she could peek out.
Since I had to stay for pictures, my wife took the kitten back to town in an attempt to find an open vet, shelter, or at least a police station to take custody of the kitten. None of the vets were open and the only help the Police desk officer offered was to tell my wife that "the animal control officer doesn't work weekends" and then the officer walked back into the secured area of the station.
So, the kitten (now called Carillon nicknamed after the bells at Bok Tower) came to the wedding reception. We gave her more water and bits of chicken from the reception dinner, which she gobbled up greedily. She ended up eating the meat from half a drumstick over the course of two hours. I felt bad that the kitten took some of the attention away from the bride and groom, but there was nothing else we could do.
My wife and I would have kept her, but we had to fly back to Pennsylvania the next day, and you can't take a kitten on most airlines—at least without advance notice and approval. We needed to find a shelter to take her to, or someone to take care of her. The grooms sister and brother-in-law who lived locally agreed to take care of her until the next week when they could take her to a shelter. They ended up keeping her, and she's still living happily with them today.
—Jim in Pennsylvania
Passerby Saves Dog Frozen to Train Tracks
A construction worker driving to a Wisconsin restaurant on a sub-zero day noticed a dog sitting on train tracks, and noticed the dog hadn't moved when he passed again an hour and a half later, so he pulled over. Jeremy Majorowicz figured something was wrong. And he was right. As he approached, he noticed that the dog was shivering hard. He approached and offered a bite of muffin to the dog, which was refused. He tried to call the dog to him, but the dog didn't attempt to move. So Majorowicz phoned law enforcement, and animal control was summoned as well. In the frigid afternoon air, a team of men puzzled over the dog. Police officer Tim Strand guessed that the dog may be frozen to the train tracks, and he lifted up the tail. The dog was frozen fast. Strand freed the dog by yanking him by the tail, leaving a lot of hair in the ice. The dog yelped, but he was free. Ten minutes later, a train came through. The dog was taken to Chippewa County Humane Association, and was immediately treated for hypothermia and named "Ice Train." He was later adopted. "I have two dogs myself, so I didn't want to leave the dog if there was something wrong," Majorowicz said.
—from Officer.com
Pedestrians Find Cat in Cage on Ice
Two friends walking home from work on a pedestrian bridge above the Clark Fork River in Missoula, MT, heard cat cries. They searched for the source of the cries and spotted a house cat trapped in a wire cage resting on slushy river ice and called 9-1-1 for help. And help arrived swiftly. Firefighters launched a boat and rescued the cat, discovering that a 16-pound rock was also in the cage, indicating an attempt to drown the cat that failed, fortunately. The wet cat was malnourished and rescuers didn't know how long it was trapped on the ice. One of the firefighters, Josh Macrow, adopted the female calico cat, naming her "Lucky." "It's just the sweetest cat," Macrow said. The identity of the abuser is not known.
For their rescue of Lucky, Sunbear Squad presented the two friends with a Gene Fields Humane Award.
—from CNN
Hikers Follow Dog Barking
Hikers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Townsend, TN, were enjoying a fall walk on a park trail in Nov. 2005, when they heard a dog barking. They tracked the sound to a ground hole, but they couldn't get close. A builder working at a nearby property heard the barking too, and he was able to get close enough to hear that the dog was trapped in a sink hole. Park rangers were called to the scene that day, but couldn't see the dog due to the late hour. The next day, four park rangers came with rappelling equipment and found the dog in an underground cave 70 feet below ground. They rigged up a harness and lifted the emaciated dog out of the hole. The dog, Buck, a Mountain Cur, wore a collar identifying his owner. When called, the owner said he had lost his dog while hunting raccoons 16 days earlier. He was very appreciative that Buck was rescued.
—from www.happynews.com
Tidbit's Lucky Day
I'd like to share my story about how my sister and I saved our little kitty Tidbit. My sister, Emilie, had come home from college for the weekend and we were bored and decided to drive to the mall. Emilie decided to take an alternative route for no reason in particular. Thank goodness she made that decision. While driving down the road I glanced to the side of the road and saw a tiny little kitten walking dangerously close to traffic. I told Emilie what I just saw and she turned around immediately. We picked the kitten up and saw that she was really sick. She was extremely skinny and her eyes and nose were crusted over. We took her home and tried to feed her while our dad found an emergency late night animal hospital nearly an hour away. We drove all the way there and got her medicine and kitten food. It's been over a year now and Tidbit is 100% fully recovered. She's now the most energetic cat that I've ever known.
—Jessica from Pittsburgh, PA
The Lucky 13
A handwritten note in awkward, stilted English arrived in the Vernon County (Wis.) Humane Society mailbox in mid-January 2004. It told of 20 dogs that were starving on a secluded farm. The writer was Amish.
When the sheriff and Vernon County Humane Society officials arrived, only 13 remained alive. They were all desperately thirsty and hungry. Most heartbreaking were 4 small dead puppies, huddled together in a doghouse.
The "Lucky 13" dogs still alive were immediately taken into veterinary care and the long process of recovery from starvation and dehydration began.
The Sunbear Squad encourages the very same "loving kindness" as shown by the Amish wife for her neighbor's dogs, when she took several minutes from her busy day to write a letter.
A Roadside Rescue in Texas
One afternoon in early 2005, a woman drove past a very large, dark dog body in a ditch along a busy highway. Distractedly, she wondered what happened to it. A few hours later, she approached the dog body coming from the other direction and his head popped up just as she passed. "That dog is alive," she thought. She pulled her car over and got out.
The dog was alive. An emaciated and weakened Great Dane mix, he was a stray who had been hit by a vehicle and left to die.
Another car pulled up. A man stepped out to help. He said, "I've been seeing this dog for days, but I thought it was dead!"
Off to The Vet
Despite the risks involved with handling a heavy, badly injured, and potentially dangerous stray dog, they were determined to help.
The rescuers gently lifted the Great Dane into the back of the woman's SUV, and drove to a nearby veterinarian, who immediately began care. The dog had two broken forelegs, a broken pelvis, and a badly scraped and abraded muzzle and nose. He was starving and dehydrated.
Because the bones had started to knit, the vet guessed that the dog had been hit by a vehicle at least a week previously.
Muzzle-Walking
What about the scraped mouth and nose? The dog with two broken forelegs was attempting to walk on his muzzle, until he became too weak to move, the vet guessed.
The Specialist Helps
The vet called in a orthopedic specialist from a vet school several hours away. This specialist reduced his fees, because "a dog that wanted to live so badly" that he walked on his muzzle deserved special treatment.
After examining the x-rays and the dog, the specialist guessed that the injuries had occurred up to two weeks earlier. Probably Duke was near death when he was finally rescued, after laying beside the highway for many days without food, water, or treatment, while thousands of cars passed.
Duke’s Suffering
Did he raise his head and look at traffic, desperate for food and water? Starvation is painful. Did he attempt to reposition himself on the hard ground, as his multiple broken bones throbbed? Did anyone see him walk on his muzzle?
Apparently not one passerby saw him move during all those days of laying in the ditch. For who is hard-hearted enough to drive past, see a dog in distress, and not make even one phone call for help?
The Happy Ending
Surgeries and treatment began, and Duke's veterinarian continued to treat him for free, but the expenses were steep. A friend sent notices to Great Dane discussion lists across the nation asking for donations for Duke's medical expenses. Responses flooded in. Duke gained weight, had physical therapy, and was adopted.
Duke was a very, very lucky dog. By moving at the right moment, he connected with the brave heart of a woman who couldn't pass him by. For her rescue of Duke, Sunbear Squad presented the woman with a Gene Fields Humane Award.
A Parking Lot Rescue
A few weeks ago on a very hot summer day, I was in a grocery store parking lot walking toward the entrance, and I saw a little poodle-type dog standing up inside a car, trying to breathe through the window which was open just a few inches. This poor dog was panting so hard that it could hardly stand up. Well I knew that it would soon keel over from heat stroke on that hot day. Heat stroke kills dogs—I used to work in a vet clinic and saw many dogs die of that. I went to the service desk and asked them what to do, but they didn't seem to have a public address system I guess. So I went up and down the aisles asking everyone I saw if they had a little poodle-type dog in a white sedan, and eventually found the owner. I told him his dog was going to get sick if he didn't get him out of the heat right away. He wasn't real friendly, let me tell you. But he did go outside and I guess he must have turned on the air conditioning, because a bit later he found me in the store and thanked me. He said he didn't realize that he was inside the store for such a long time.
—Kay in Wisconsin
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