At 5:30 this evening I got a call that there was an emaciated greyhound running loose around a Shell gas station off I-40 about 30 minutes from my home. A construction worker (they are doing road construction on the interstate in that area) saw the dog while he was working today and brought it two bags of dog food. He then called the Seminole Humane Society and they contacted us. One of our board members met me out there and we split up and searched. By this time it was dark and cold and windy. We couldn't find the dog so our board member went into the convenience store and asked if there was any certain place the dog hung out. He showed her the spot in a field where the dog usually lays and lo and behold the dog was there. However, as soon as he saw our board member and the store employee he bolted and he did not show his face again. The employee said that the dog has been hanging around for a couple of days and has not let anyone get near him, even when they had hot food for him.
My heart is saddened to think we couldn't save this dog. I am afraid it will die tonight because we have a HUGE snow storm heading our way and bitterly cold temperatures are predicted for the next few days.
I honestly do not feel there was any way we could have saved this dog due to its skittish nature and the pitch black conditions. However, that does not keep me from feeling sad and a bit guilty over it. I am thankful Sweetheart doesn't have to suffer in the elements any longer and I just have to focus on the dogs I have helped. These are the times when rescue is bittersweet though.
Hug your babies for me and be thankful that they are safe and warm with you!
Jess
Sounds like he is really hungry. Do you have access to a live trap? That might be your best bet. That is heart breaking. I'll bet you won't sleep a wink tonight.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry, I'm sure it's so hard. Gives me tears thinking of it. You've done great things for many. Going to hug mine now.
ReplyDeletePlease don't give up. A crate with blankets and food in it if no live trap. Take some of your hounds with you to search, they may lure him in out of curiosity.You probably know this, but in case not: www.great-greyhound.org/Finding%20Your%20Lost%20Greyhound.pdf. Michael McCann's info. Good luck. Seems like it always falls to the same people -- no rest for the weary. You're a saint.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that it necessarily means that he'll never be saved. I agree, a live trap might help, or food in a crate and some blankets! Greyhounds are more resiliant than a lot of people give them credit for. I hope it works out for him!
ReplyDeleteWith any luck he's a smart hound and will find somewhere warm to hunker down.
ReplyDeleteso bloody far away ... but thank God for You, being prepared to go out there, & with a house full of hounds, & the hounds you've helped re-home, & all the volunteer work you do for hounds ... and life, but you do it. Hurrah!
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As the others have suggested, maybe it is still alive. I sure hope so and that you can trap it and help.
ReplyDeleteHe might have a shelter where he's hiding. A crate with blankets might be a good idea with some smelly wet food to lure him in.
ReplyDeleteThank you for all your kind words and suggestions. The problem is we are going through a blizzard right now. Yep, a real one. Temps in the high single digits with winds between 30-50 miles per hour. The place where the dog is is about 40 miles from me and there is no way I can get to this dog in the next couple of days. The temperatures are only going to get colder today and tomorrow as well. There is an abandoned house behind the gas station that is open in the back and there are clothes on the floor. I am hopeful the dog had enough sense to seek shelter once the ice and snow came through last night. :(
ReplyDeleteJess, they are so smart and far more resilient, in spirit and body, than we sometimes think. Take Sweetheart, for example! Perhaps after the storm you can gather some others and head back out for him. Your blizzard is headed our way, all the way up here in Vermont.
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