How Far Would You Go?

Tweet

I think pretty much all of us have seen dogs that aren't taken care of very well. How far would you go to help the dog? Several years ago there was this little Labrador Retriever puppy tied up outside someones house- I seen it everyday when I'd drive home. The area that he could "roam" was only a few feet, he was very thin and missing some hair, and I never once saw food/water outside with him. On my days off I'd drive by at different times of the day and see if things had changed- maybe they only keep him out there to potty. All the times I drove by, the conditions hadn't changed. So I took a walk over there to get a closer view. The dog could get about 2 feet from the sidewalk so I could see him VERY well. He was so thin it was sickening, and I did see a water bowl out there but it was a small cereal bowl and had been tipped over. As I was looking over this dog, I parted his hair and I've never seen so many fleas in my entire life. Just then a woman came outside and yelled at me for "bothering" her dog. I told her that he looked hungry, and she said that she didn't have money to buy food this week but she'd get him some next week. I told her that they cannot go that long without food, and he also needed to get those fleas off of him- she said "he's just going to have to learn to wait". So, I left. I went home and made a few phone calls and found someone who would take him in. I went to that house in the middle of the night, got the puppy and took him to work and bathed him and fed him. Even though it was apparent that he'd been very neglected, he was the sweetest little puppy you could imagine. He went into his new home the next day and he's been a wonderful dog for their family. With the condition that the puppy was in when I found him, I really don't believe he would have lived for much longer in that situation. I still drive by that house on my way home from work, and those people have never gotten another dog, which I believe is for the best.