Dog abandoned outside a cat shelter with all his belongings finally finds a family
A dog abandoned outside a cat shelter with all his belongings finally finds a family
A dog bed, a bowl of water and a tiny bag of dog food: these were the items left behind by the pit bull Margie Morris discovered chained to a telephone pole earlier this month.
Morris, director of Project Purr Animal Rescue, a Mobile, Alabama-based charity that helps homeless cats, was used to discovering abandoned cats and kittens on the shelter’s doorstep. However, she was caught off guard when she saw a dog chained up in the parking lot behind the facility.
“My first thought was, ‘Where was I going to keep the dog?” the author recounts. Morris revealed to The Dodo. “I felt horrible for this puppy that had been abandoned. I feel like the person who gave him up was not able to take care of him and wanted him to be taken care of. He was well-fed.”
Morris was unable to get the dog (later named Ranger) into the cat sanctuary.
“We got a lot of criticism for not bringing the dog in, but we have 90 to 100 kittens loose and no place for a dog to go,” Morris explained.
Morris took pictures of Ranger and shared them on social media to raise awareness of the stray dog. She then arranged for Ranger to be taken to the city’s shelter, where staff committed to caring for him.
After Project Purr’s Facebook post went viral, other women stepped up to help Ranger, including Ginny Leclair, a freelance rescuer.
The women took Ranger to the doctor after rescuing him from the shelter, where he was neutered, vaccinated and treated for ringworm. After that, he was sent to the Leclair home in Navarre, Florida.
Ranger, who must have been about two years old at the time, had suffered greatly. So it was reasonable for him to feel tense, even though Leclair was concerned about his violent behavior toward her other rescue dogs.
“At first, I had reservations about his behavior and attitude,” Ms. Leclair told The Dodo. “However, on the third day, I thought, ‘Wait a minute. He’s looking for a job. He needs to be aware of who is in control. You can’t get all cute with him, talk to him like a baby, feed him and expect him to be okay. “Hey, I’m yours,” Ranger needs to know. You’re in charge of me. “We’ll do it this way.
Ranger quickly improved with discipline, focus and lots of affection.
“He’s doing much better,” Leclair adds. “Now he can walk by other dogs without fighting. He loves to play in the yard. He’s the one who starts the game.
I have the ability to take a toy out of his mouth. I am free to take away his lunch plate. I get to take away his water while he’s drinking.”
Ranger loves people, not just Leclair but his entire family. Leclair intended to foster Ranger until she could find him a good home, but she recently chose to adopt him.
