On 07/08/15 I saw a dog running on the PA Turnpike. The dog immediately ran when I saw him, I climbed the embankment and put food out in hopes he would stay off the Turnpike. A few days later I saw a post about a dog spotted in White Haven that had been hanging around for a few weeks. The person that spotted the dog, Trisha, in White Haven got in touch with me and asked for help. I advised her to feed the dog and let me know if he came back around. He wasn’t spotted for over a week until this past weekend.
My friend Stacie and I went up last night to set a trap up for the dog. We were setting the trap up and heard a dog cry…an awful painful kind of cry. I went to grab supplies out of my car and the dog was crossing the street from behind the houses where we setup the trap. After we left, he was at the trap in less than 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, he set the trap off and wasn’t in it. His back leg was badly injured and he was hopping and not able to use his leg. He ended up hitting the door with his back from hopping and closed the trap. He tried several times to get in the trap after it was reset, but the poor guy just couldn’t walk forward to get in all the way and continued to set off the trap. I pulled the videos and he just laid down by the trap after it was closed and was trying to get the food out. It broke my heart. Poor boy was so hungry and tired. 😥
After several more failed attempts, I decided that we needed to try a bigger trap because of his injury. I called my friend Bonnie and she graciously agreed to loan me her trap. My amazing friend Stacie was able to borrow a truck from Jimmy her fiancé’s co-worker. Stacie drove all the way to Muncy to pick up the trap with her two children in tow and all the way back to White Haven.
I enlisted the help of my friend Maria to help unload the trap. Maria, Stacie, Rich (Trisha’s step father) and myself setup the trap. I went to get more food supplies from my car and who do I see, but the dog crossing the road again in the same spot as yesterday. I told everyone let’s go now….we need to get out of here. We all loaded up and headed out.
I ran down to the store not even 4 miles away to grab more supplies, I didn’t even get to the store and I got the call from Rich and Trisha that he was in the trap…..less than 15 minutes and he was in the trap!!!! We turned around and immediately headed back.
We got to the trap and found a handsome, but very injured dog in the trap. He seemed grateful for the help and was very sweet. I was able to get a slip lead around him while he was in the trap and got him out and safely into my car. Maria and I took him immediately to my vet. His eye was infected and his back leg was VERY swollen and he couldn’t walk on it at all. We assumed he was probably hit by a car.
My vet wanted to do some x-rays that required sedation to get a good look at the leg. So we left him there for an overnight stay. But, about 2 hours after we left him I got a call from my vet’s office. I almost fell off my chair, this dog was shot. This is the second dog that I have recovered that has been shot in the last several months. I’m still in disbelief of the ignorance and cruelty of some people that they would actually shoot an innocent dog.
I decided that this dog needed a name and his new beginning starts today. While at the vet’s office I named him Pike because that’s where I first saw him running on the Turnpike. I have called every shelter in the county and surrounding counties and there are no lost reports on this dog, no Facebook posts, no Craigslist ads, no newspaper ads….nothing. How could that be…no one is missing this incredibly sweet boy Pike? If an owner doesn’t come forward this dog will be put up for adoption with our friends at Blue Chip Rescue. Pike will be having a surgical consultation for his gunshot wound to see if his leg can be saved or not.
I need to thank several people that helped with Pike. Trisha and Rich, thank you for letting me know that Pike was in your neighborhood, thank you for helping with the trap and for allowing us to use your property. You are both very kind and gracious people!!! Thank you to my friend Maria for coming up tonight to help with the trap and for taking such great care of Pike on the ride to the vet. Thank you to my hubby for always supporting my crazy adventures and for constantly loading my big awkward traps in the cars. Thank you to my friend Bonnie for loaning me your huge trap….I very much appreciate it. Thank you to Jimmy for letting Stacie borrow your truck, you sir are wonderful!!! A HUGE thank you to my friend Stacie, you my dear are AWESOME and I can’t thank you enough for your help the last two days!!! And Stacie’s son Mason is an awesome animal loving young man. He was so happy when he saw that Pike was in that trap and was safe. He is definitely a fellow animal rescuer in the making, thanks to his terrific mom!!! Much love to you all from myself and Pike!!!! You are safe now Buddy rest easy.
August 5th Pike update , I dropped Pike off today with our friends at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center. His surgery to repair his injury to his leg from a gunshot wound is scheduled for tomorrow. I know he is in wonderful hands with the skilled surgeon and staff at VREC. This big fellow will need a foster home or permanent home by this weekend. His recovery will take approximately 8 weeks. I would love to get him into a foster or permanent home immediately after his surgery.
Pike really needs a home to recover from his surgery.
August 7th Pike update, his surgery went very well yesterday. Thank you to our friends at Veterinary Referral and Emergency Center for taking such wonderful care of Pike!!!! Pike had pins and a plate placed into his heel to repair the damage from the gunshot wound. He will need about 8 to 10 weeks to heal from his surgery.