Less than one week ago, the morning turned out to be busier than usual for the staff at Stray Rescue of St. Louis. The organization had received a call referencing an injured dog, but there was more. The caller had been in a panic; she quickly corrected her story to say there were three dogs, and their situation was heartbreaking:
They all have broken legs, and it looks like one has a broken jaw.
Donna Lochmann, the chief life-saving officer, and her team rushed out to check on the situation. When they arrived, they encountered a scene they had sadly witnessed so many times before this. There she was – an unspayed dog in heat with two intact male dogs close by. And of course, the two male dogs were fighting.
Sadly, there are few choices for dogs on the street; they learn to survive on their own, or they perish. The female dogs often have multiple litters that may or may not survive, and the cycle of homeless pets only increases. They have to avoid crossing busy roads, scrounging for food and aching from loneliness.
They sleep with one eye open and fear approaching people, but they also have to watch out for other dogs.
The female dog and one male were happy to see their rescuers as if they were calling out “help us.” Both dogs ran right up to Donna and were quick to jump in her Jeep. They were both extremely sweet and made everyone there feel better knowing they were finally off the streets.
The second male was unsure about being on a leash; perhaps he had never been on one. His face appeared torn up, and he needed help. He was exhausted, and even though it would take time and patience to capture him and to convince him that help was available, no one was leaving without him.
Eventually after crawling under the porch of a neighbor’s house, Donna was able to get a leash around his neck. He was transported in a separate vehicle because he had been in a fight with the other male.
Once the dogs arrived in the clinic, it was easy to see how all three were quite a mess, but thankfully, there were no broken bones. All three of the dogs had injured legs involving soft tissue. Both male dogs were covered in bite wounds.
And now all three dogs have settled in and will be eligible for foster homes once they are spayed and neutered.
No doubt they are all so happy to be off the streets, and these miraculous rescues are all because people care. The shelter is overfull now, and adopting, fostering and volunteering can ease the situation.
Please come foster an adult pup who is ready to cuddle and love you! We need your help!
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