January 10, 2008
Coming to the rescue
I’m a softie when it come to animals in trouble, especially dogs. Several times over the years I’ve been able to help dogs that were lost and wandering in highway traffic. I bring them home, give them a meal and hold them in Lancie’s kennel until the Humane Society can pick them up and try to reunite them with their owners. Our Humane Society, like so many others, is overcrowded with lost and abandoned animals and has to euthanize some that can’t be placed in homes. Knowing this, and knowing that there’s usually no space for sick and injured animals, I’ve nursed a few dogs back to “adoptable” status before either finding homes for them myself or turning them over to the Humane Society. Nothing extraoridinary there - most animal lovers do these things from time to time. Sometimes more is needed, though.
A German Shepherd that was hit by a car earlier this week was critically injured and could have died there beside the road. He’s alive and recovering today because of the kindness of a stranger. His rescuer not only rushed him to a nearby vet’s office, he’s paid the bill, which so far amounts to about $800.
“When I first got there, nobody wanted to touch the dog,” said Good Samaritan Tom Arnold, of Mililani. “The dog connected eyes with me, and was asking for help.”
Arnold knew he couldn’t just stand by and watch.
“The dog was alive, it was clinging to life, and I wanted to give it a fighting chance,” he said. “I have a dog myself and I would hope someone else would do that for my dog if my dog got away.”
Read the whole story and see the video on KHNL News8.
I hope someone like Tom Arnold is around if either of my boys ever escapes and gets into trouble. I hope that German Shepherd is reunited with his family, or finds a new family that will give him a good home. Both of my dogs have tiny ID chips embedded under their skin. Most animal welfare organizations and vets’ offices have wands that can instantly detect the chips and pull up information to help my guys find their way home if they’re ever lost. If your pets aren’t “chipped,” ask your vet about the service next time you visit. They’re inexpensive and worth much more than their weight in gold.
[tags]dogs, dog rescue, dog stories, injured dog[/tags]
Posted by skeet @ 10:01 pm • Hawaii, Society & culture
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January 10th, 2008 at 10:50 pm, skeet’s stuff » Share Some Good Stuff Says:
[…] last journey. I’m especially tuned to animal stories these days, so the recent news about a man who went the extra mile for a dog in trouble really lifted my […]
January 12th, 2008 at 10:32 am, Whim Says:
What a great guy!