Scared Stray Dog Pulled from Under Car, Rescuers Shave Off 6 Lbs of Knotted Fur
Every living creature deserves to be loved and adored. Unfortunately, many stray dogs and cats never even get the chance.
That’s why animal rescuers are the unsung heroes of the pet world. When a rescue goes well, it can warm hearts all over the planet.
Take Pilgrim, for example. His rescuers could barely believe his condition when he was first discovered in November of 2018.
Stray Rescue of St. Louis recounts the harrowing winter spectacle on their website. Their team was first alerted to the troubling sight of a small, solitary canine quivering under a car.
But staffers weren’t prepared for what they witnessed when they arrived to intervene. “This precious boy was found literally frozen to the pavement,” their website explains.
The lead female rescuer couldn’t help but gasp at Pilgrim’s shocking condition. She crouched down low in the snow, holding a colorful leash and trying to coax the pooch out from hiding.
But Pilgrim wasn’t budging.
The dog’s absolute stillness may have reflected his understandable fear of strangers. Or perhaps his severely matted coat simply rendered him utterly immobile.
So the rescuer reclined flat against the chilly ground. She gradually slipped the leash around Pilgrim’s neck, then gently pulled him toward her.
Pilgrim instantly barked and snarled in alarm. And when he finally emerged from underneath the vehicle, his woolly condition was absolutely heartbreaking.
The frightened canine’s salt-and-pepper fur hung in horrifically knotted clumps. His terrified howls and whines were excruciating to hear.
But as the shelter website explains, “we warmed him up and got him back to the safety of Stray Rescue. At the vet clinic, the vet techs started shaving him, revealing the sweet soul hidden underneath years of neglect.”
Unfortunately, once roughly six solid pounds of tangled fur had been removed, vets discovered that Pilgrim had suffered a broken pelvis. “Doctors believed his injury was a result of being run over by a car,” the website explains.
Rescuers knew that this plucky 2-year-old pup deserved a second chance. So they began raising funds for surgery that could give Pilgrim a brand new life.
Media outlets like The Dodo and others began sharing Pilgrim’s tale. Soon, social media users everywhere mobilized to cheer him on.
And during treatment, the canine appeared to recognize that his situation had truly changed for the better. “This brave boy seemed to know we were there to help him, because he never cried (or) even whimpered during his exam,” the rescue site reads.
After all was said and done, successful surgery put Pilgrim on the path to a wonderful new reality. As Stray Rescue of St. Louis reports, “this lucky boy has recovered from his horrible ordeal and has since been adopted by his foster family!”
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