As responsible and loving pet owners, we want to do everything we can to make sure that our dogs have what they need on a daily basis. We provide them with plenty of good food, a nice place to sleep, and medical help when they need it.
Perhaps that is why it shocks us so much to hear about dogs that are abused and sometimes, even left to die.
That was unfortunately what happened in Oak Cliff, Texas, but someone was there to take care of the pooch in a loving way.
It started when Kaleigh Wetrich was out for a walk in the woods with her friend and they saw a most unusual site. They started hearing some barking and it was rather faint but when they looked into it, they found a boxer mix was tied to a tree.
The dog had obviously been suffering and was wrapped up in a garden hose and tied between two trees. He had absolutely nothing to do but stand there and wait to die.
He may have been abandoned with no food or water but he wasn’t without hope. Kaleigh knew that something must be done immediately so she walked up to him. He started barking, almost to say “I’m here.”
Although Kaleigh was not able to handle the matter on her own, she did contact Apollo Support & Rescue. It wasn’t long before one of the volunteers, Steve Basham, was there to help the puppy. It seemed as if he had been left alone for at least a week without food or water.
The dog was in such bad shape that Steve felt that his organs were shutting down. After finding the dog, who they named Lucky, Kaleigh cried all night. She spoke to a local station, saying: “I can’t just leave a living creature to die like that.”
They took lucky to the clinic and ran some tests. He was in sorry shape, suffering from severe anemia, flea infestation, and hookworms.
Even though he was in bad shape at the time, he started making progress almost immediately. He was fostered out to a rescuer and is now making wonderful progress. They are hoping that he will be able to make a full recovery and then be sent to a loving forever home.
Steve posted on Facebook:
“I was preparing Lucky’s dinner of AD Critical Care canned food (along with assorted medications and vitamins mixed in per vet.) As I leaned over to put his food bowl down in front of him, he jumps up to my face and starts giving me big wet puppy kisses non stop. Here go the waterworks.”
The rescue gave an update, saying that Lucky was able to recover and was doing quite well. He was even able to play fetch! After being sent to a forever home, he realized that he was where he should’ve been there all along. As it turns out, he is now Steve Basham’s furry friend!
