Posted on 09/19/2005 7:33:55 PM PDT by Zacs Mom
Three days ago when Best Friends rescue workers were on the Interstate heading back to the Best Friends/St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, they noticed a small boat on the side of the expressway.
But that isnt what caught their eye. It was the red spray-painted writing on the side of the vessel, which read, DOG IN BOAT.
"DOG IN BOAT"
On September 10th when Best Friends rescue workers were on the Interstate heading back to the Best Friends/St. Francis Animal Sanctuary, they noticed a small boat on the side of the expressway.
But that isnít what caught their eye. It was the red spray-painted writing on the side of the vessel, which read, "DOG IN BOAT."
They pulled over in their van. Sure enough, hiding inside the boat near the outboard motor was a dog, a young white pit bull. Besides the writing on the boat, the person had left the dog a bag of dry food. Unfortunately, diesel fuel from the motor had spilled into the hull and saturated not only the food, but the dog.
"She was sunburned with blisters and covered in diesel," said Best Friends staff member Kit Boggio. "I talked quietly to her and just picked her up in my arms."
The rescue team took her to the St. Francis sanctuary, along with 40 other animals. In four days, her condition has dramatically improved.
"After 72 hours, she's had a bath, a lot of her sun blisters are healing. She had her first chewy. She looks and feels great."
On September 14th, the dog, who is now named Diesel, was moved from the triage area she's been staying at to a kennel area ìwhere sheíll have her own ëapartment,í Boggio said. "We're going to tuck her in."
Cathy Scott at St. Francis
Photos by Troy Snow, Best Friends Animal Society
Be sure to click on the above image to view the special tribute
Thanks for posting this! The plight of these poor creatures just about breaks my heart.
My "dog mom" heart has been broken many times since Katrina
Me too. I've cried myself to sleep many times, just thinking of all these sweet babies out in the open, frightened, but staying where they are in hopes their mommas or daddies will come back for them.
How many of them have died in place, waiting?
There is a silver lining, however. The mayor of Galveston said that any mandatory evacuation for Rita, involving buses, would allow owners to take their animals with them.
The dead babies of NO have paved the way for future rescues to include animals as part of the "baggage" that people are allowed to take with them.
please add me to the doggy ping list.
The mayor of Galveston is a female, which may explain this humanitarian approach to animal evacuees.
Hugging-my-furbabies-extra-tight ping!
I knew it would!
So then they did not die in vain
Going to bed now and cuddle with my dear, darling fuzzy baby
Just another one of those sure-to-be-insane-killer Pet Bullies.
Zacs Mom - Thanks for the happy ending and good press.
Looks like an albino. May have burned more easily.
Thanks for posting this...love this little critters!!!!
Please add me to the doggy ping list....thank you
Thanks for the pings.
The stories are getting happier so I have begun peeking in.
The MSM news is even doing happy doggie rescue stories now.
Saw a woman hold her Basset Hound as they were reunited for the first time.
We are in the process of putting in a stationary generator if the roads (we are on a hill up high) down below get washed out for what ever reason we wil be self contained 110%
I refuse to leave my Boyz. King Vanity has plenty of supplies medical/food but I am looking into MRE to store.
Our new generator will run the well, fridge, his room (which is our living area) his medical machines and the washer.
Katrina has been a very valuable lesson.
Please put me on your doggie ping list.
Please add me to your Doggie Ping list.
Not that it matters, but that boat would have had no reason to have had diesel fuel in it. It has an outboard motor, and to my knowledge, a diesel outboard has never been produced. The boat does look pretty old, and diesel may have been used before my time, but I am unaware of it. Anyway, it's a cute name.
Kudos to you, Zacs Mom, for the beautiful tribute to the Katrina animal victims.
Tears and prayers for all the animals, especially those still out there, and the good people working so hard to save them.
Suspect the diesel came from something other than the boat motor. Lots of people were carting diesel around to fuel generators, and probably often in makeshift containers.
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