It is common to hear stories of dogs that escape, but when an elderly one does, the worst is feared, since the hopes that they survive on their own are not so high.
This was what happened to a dog named Old Lady, at the beginning of the year, who not only drifted, but did so in the American state of Minnesota, where the lowest temperatures of any American city are recorded.
This old dog is called Old Lady and she got into a lot of trouble
It’s been 17 days since this poor 10-year-old St. Bernard disappeared out in the open, without any kind of coat to protect her from freezing temperatures other than her fur.
Azure Davis, who is the founder of the RuffStartRescue shelter, had met Old Lady shortly before she escaped, as she had given her to a temporary adoptive mother to take care of her and it is she who recounts the odyssey that was her escape.
Old Lady was one of 400 dogs rescued from a local puppy mill in early January. Employees at RuffStartRescue assigned her to a temporary shelter , but before the pooch managed to set foot inside her permanent home, things took a turn for the worse.
The little dog ran down this icy road
Her new adoptive mother picked up Old Lady from the shelter and took her home, but as soon as she got out of the car holding her by the leash, the little dog was startled by the crunching ice and began to run, struggling until she managed to escape, dragging the leash along the icy road.
Davis, who worked with TheRetrievers, along with a team of volunteers who help find lost dogs, did everything they could to bring Old Lady home . While the search parties returned empty-handed, a few possible sightings encouraged the team to keep looking. However, the days passed and it seemed that nothing could get the fearful dog out of her hiding place.
“This is one strong and fast female dog, especially for her advanced age,” Davis wrote on Facebook.
Hope began to wane as temperatures dipped to -10°C. Meanwhile, on Monday Davis received the call she had been praying for. A man and his two grandchildren had seen the dog tied up in the woods.
Luckily, the leash that he had dragged all those days got stuck in some branches
It turns out that the leash that Old Lady had been dragging for over two weeks had finally come in handy, because a branch caught on her leash, leaving her stuck in the trees.
“Thanks god! It’s the only way we would have gotten it,” Davis wrote.
Davis and her partner Julie Lessard approached Old Lady, who was trembling, and cautiously managed to slip a leash around her, before freeing her from the tree.
With a little food and a new leash, her rescuers got her to safety.
The dog met her adopter and it seemed to be love at first sight. But her new mother is taking no chances: Old Lady left the rescue with two leashes, one slip, a harness and a collar.
The woman who adopted Old Lady prefers not to take risks when bringing home her new dog
These rescuers showed their confidence and perseverance by not giving up when it seemed that all was lost, no matter how bitterly cold and how difficult it was to perform such a rescue in those weather conditions.
We invite you to share this incredible story with other people encouraging them not to give up when these types of incidents occur with their pets!
