Image Credit: Stray Rescue of St. Louis Facebook Page
The Stray Rescue of St. Louis received a call about a dog sleeping on a residential street during a heatwave, and they kindly asked the caller to send them pictures of the puppy so they could better assess how to help.
“The photo this person sent us shows the dog lying down,” Donna Lochmann, chief lifeguard officer for the Stray Rescue of St. Louis, told The Dodo. “It’s hard to tell, but it looks like you can see his hipbones. So I know it’s definitely worth a shot.”
Lochmann rushed to the scene but couldn’t find the puppy. She decides to turn into an alley at the last minute – that’s when she finds him.
“I saw him lying on the street,” Lockman said. “He was lying in the water coming out of the gutters, probably to stay cool because it was so hot.”
When Lockman approached, she quickly realized how desperately the dog needed help.
“He must have heard me when I parked at the end of the alley,” Lockman said. “I watched him raise his head, look around, and then put his head back on the side of the road like he gave up completely.”
The image of the dog lying alone in the street, with no energy or hope for the future, broke Lochman’s heart.
“It literally killed me,” Lockman said. “I said to myself, ‘I can’t keep this dog here.’”
Fortunately for Rockman, the oppressed dog had absolutely no problem with being rescued. He walked up to her jeep by himself without even wearing a leash.
“I started talking to him and I said, ‘Come on, man…we’ll help you.’”
As soon as he got in the car, the puppy went home.
“I put a blanket in the back of the Jeep, so he lay down right away,” Lockman said. “He seemed very grateful for the air conditioning and the comfortable place.”
The adorable dog, who they later named Curby, thoroughly enjoyed what the sanctuary called the “free ride” safety.
“He went to foster care very quickly,” Lockman said. “A couple saw a video of him and the wife said to the husband, ‘That dog shouldn’t be in the shelter.’ So they came to pick him up.”
Curby loves his new foster home, where he has two very loving parents and a dog sibling he loves to cuddle. He’s finally starting to gain weight and his personality is really starting to blossom in his new home.
“His adoptive parents absolutely fell in love with him,” Lockman said. “He turned out to be the cutest boy ever.”
