The Black Lab Rescue!
Another chapter in Lisa’s tale …
“The pattern of my going across the county both days and every weekend to feed Sweetie continued throughout the rest of April. When I would see her outside she continued to run away from me-not very fast, but fast enough. By early May I had a friend to help me and began to accompany me on the weekends. The weather was getting hot. We worried about ticks and the heat. I began making two trips a day on some days, still feeding her and calling her name. In the midst of this people told me that she should be shot or put down if caught and that she would never be socialized and never healthy.
“The pattern of my going across the county both days and every weekend to feed Sweetie continued throughout the rest of April. When I would see her outside she continued to run away from me-not very fast, but fast enough. By early May I had a friend to help me and began to accompany me on the weekends. The weather was getting hot. We worried about ticks and the heat. I began making two trips a day on some days, still feeding her and calling her name. In the midst of this people told me that she should be shot or put down if caught and that she would never be socialized and never healthy.
May 22. Over two months. Finally, on that Saturday, when I went into
the house I heard a thump! It was Sweetie. As I came in the door, she
got off the sofa in the abandoned house, calmly walked past me and out
the door. That was the first time I realized that she was missing her
right hind leg. And the first time I could see that her eyes were
filled with pus and looked so weak. I called her name, but she would
not let me near her. I also understood then that because of her
condition and the approaching summer I did not have time for her to
learn to trust me- I was going to have to capture her soon to take her
to safety. Miles (volunteer/friend) was willing to help, and others
that I had contacted, gave me ideas and suggestions A rescuer by the
name of Diane told me of a situation in which she had to lock two dogs
in an old house until she could get help and it worked- they were
rescued, crated, and taken to the vet. This was going to be our plan
with Sweetie. The next day Miles and I tried, but Sweetie was
threatened by him, and ran into the field. But now Miles was as
determined as I. I began feeding her after work on Wednesday and
Fridays, as well as on the weekends.
June arrived. No Sweetie. It had been 2 1/2 months of trips out there to the west of Laurel from the east side of the county almost daily, sometimes in the rain, taking food and fresh water, calling her name softly, getting the abandoned house set up to hold her in there when we would be able to find her inside.
On June 9, Miles and I arrived one evening about 8:30 pm. As we drove up, there was Sweetie. She was walking towards us down the road. Sniffing in the air, she saw us and halted, and then turned to run into the planted corn- her hiding place. We stayed until quarter of 10:00 that night, but she never reappeared. After this I was making trips every night after work, and still on the weekends.
Sunday, June 20th, a beautiful day, Miles and I drove to the house, parking away from it and walking quietly back to it, Miles went in first, turned to me, and softly said that Sweetie was on the sofa. He closed the front door to keep her in. Finally, we had her where we could capture her. I called around to an Animal Rescue for assistance, since neither Miles nor I had any experience in using a catch pole or performed a rescue such as this. However, there was no answer. So I added some medicine to Sweetie’s food that Dr. Sarah Dykstra (Eastern Veterinary Hospital-Laurel, DE) had given me for the purpose of relaxing Sweetie when we did get to this point in the rescue. Perhaps nervous with both Miles and me in the house, Sweetie ate very little of her food, and after two hours with no success in coaxing her near the crate we brought in, I went in search of Terry Dunn, a neighbor in that area who worked at Four Paws Veterinary Hospital in Seaford, DE. Terry and her husband returned to the abandoned house with me, and with their expertise, within ten minutes we had Sweetie crated. It was finally over. It had taken three months.”
It’s not over yet! Tune in soon for more of Lisa’s touching tale of rescue.
June arrived. No Sweetie. It had been 2 1/2 months of trips out there to the west of Laurel from the east side of the county almost daily, sometimes in the rain, taking food and fresh water, calling her name softly, getting the abandoned house set up to hold her in there when we would be able to find her inside.
On June 9, Miles and I arrived one evening about 8:30 pm. As we drove up, there was Sweetie. She was walking towards us down the road. Sniffing in the air, she saw us and halted, and then turned to run into the planted corn- her hiding place. We stayed until quarter of 10:00 that night, but she never reappeared. After this I was making trips every night after work, and still on the weekends.
Sunday, June 20th, a beautiful day, Miles and I drove to the house, parking away from it and walking quietly back to it, Miles went in first, turned to me, and softly said that Sweetie was on the sofa. He closed the front door to keep her in. Finally, we had her where we could capture her. I called around to an Animal Rescue for assistance, since neither Miles nor I had any experience in using a catch pole or performed a rescue such as this. However, there was no answer. So I added some medicine to Sweetie’s food that Dr. Sarah Dykstra (Eastern Veterinary Hospital-Laurel, DE) had given me for the purpose of relaxing Sweetie when we did get to this point in the rescue. Perhaps nervous with both Miles and me in the house, Sweetie ate very little of her food, and after two hours with no success in coaxing her near the crate we brought in, I went in search of Terry Dunn, a neighbor in that area who worked at Four Paws Veterinary Hospital in Seaford, DE. Terry and her husband returned to the abandoned house with me, and with their expertise, within ten minutes we had Sweetie crated. It was finally over. It had taken three months.”
It’s not over yet! Tune in soon for more of Lisa’s touching tale of rescue.
Tags: black labrador dog
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