Puppy in the back of a truck story *graphic content - good ending*

My wife and I were coming home from a weekend in Austin, about a three hour drive.

About 1000 feet from the exit that we take to pick up our dog from the boarding place we see the head of a little puppy poke out from in the bed of a pickup truck.

My wife and I watched in horror as the puppy started to try and climb out of the back of the pickup.

I was honking my horn and flashing my high beams in an attempt to get the driver to realize what is happening.

As the truck exited and turned on the curved off ramp the puppy went over the side. Thinking that the pup was going to roll and tumble we were horrified to see it was tethered and dragging on the side of the pickup.

The ramp was wide and almost a circle (low speed) so I had a chance to pull beside the truck on the left. Just then they pulled over.

My adrenaline was pumping... the guy driving the truck jumped out and started mumbling. As I walked behind my car and around I saw the puppy's back legs underneath the drivers side rear tire (pretty much an inch or so behind the tail. Its head was being pulled because the tether/rope was too short. So it was stretched out.

I started yelling at the guy to back up... he jumped in the truck and started reving the engine. He said something to the effect that he couldn't get it to go. I yelled at him to get out of the truck and I jumped in and backed it up. I guess he didnt engage the gear. Kids were screaming in the truck. I jumped out and hie picked up the puppy. The puppy was limp... not moving... this whole time when the back tire was on it wasn't making a peep.

BTW I had major tunnel vision at this point.. I knew there were crying kids in the truck... my wife counted 4... all elementary age crying and yelling. People behind us had stopped and were getting out of their vehicles.

The guy was so disgusting he was telling me the whole time that he told his kids not to tie the dog up in the back on the trip... to keep it inside the car. What a scum bag to blame your kids for what if true should have been a parenting overrule.

The driver of the truck untied the rope around the homemade collar and picked up the dog and laid it down in the back of the truck on a box. I asked if he knew where the Emergency Animal Hospital was (it was about 3 miles away). He looked stupefied and by his demeanor in just lying the puppy back in the bed of the truck strangely confused.

I told him I knew where it was and then told him how to get there. I of course was just reacting at this time... not quite thinking clearly I must admit. He said ok... he said he would go there. I gave the puppy to my wife in the front seat of the car and backed up by all the parked cars on the off ramp and headed back down the freeway.

We admitted the dog... told them the story and accepted financial responsibility. They whisked him away to the back and my wife went back outside to look for the owners.

Long story short it took the Vet 30 or so minutes to do what he needed to do... in this time the owners never showed.

He pulled up the X-Rays and showed us... he was ok!

No broken bones (being 3-4 months old they were pliable and did not show any breaks).

The only damage visible was road rash on his underbelly and the tip of his tail. In the X-Ray you could actually see the bits of gravel.

The Vet told me the little guy was wagging his tail when they were trying to take the X-Rays. :D

The only possible damage could be muscle or tendons (he is walking fne this morning).

They wanted to keep him for about 6-12 hours on fluids and morphine to help with the shock.

My wife and I gave them our contact info to call us if the owner showed or to update us. We had to go pick up our boy!

About 20 minutes later we got a call stating that the owners had came and were briefed on the situation by the Vet... they signed a waiver releasing rights to the puppy. ::Rant::

I cant believe this... why do people get animals... aren't responsible when securing them and then cant afford to pay medical expenses.

Ugh... hopefully they wont get another dog. I actually have the waiver form and am contemplating calling and telling them calmly that they should think twice before getting another animal. My wife said at the scene I was chewing him up and down... I was so horrified.

As a side note his hair was so over grown that even at 3-4 months the hair was pretty much obstructing his eyes... he also had no tags... he has also never had any shots. :mad:

Anyway the pup is now under my feet in our study as a write this.

We will be deciding if we will try to find him a foster home with a non-profit org or keep him.

This is the second little pup we have rescued injured in the last year... the first one is in the living room as I type.

Is anyone here just so happen to be looking for a sweet little puppy?

Here are some pics...

How our boy rolls! We rescued him injured on the streets at 3-4 months last May.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...k/IMG_2910.jpg

Pup:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2345.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2350.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2354.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2356.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2357.jpg

Cute pup.

Shitty previous owner.

They sound like rednecks, or otherwise obtuse people.

Wow, wish I had a big enough yard for one. That is a cue pup.

Cute little mop, looks like a possum with that rat tail 'do.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

I cant believe this... why do people get animals... have a litter of kids, aren't responsible when securing them and then cant afford to pay medical expenses.

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This is depressing. Four future responsible pet owners in the truck with him, right?

Way to go on the intervention Ken. Sounds like there was a reason for you to be there at that place and time.:clap:

How big is he? housetrained? good/ok with kids/other pets?

We lost one of our dogs last summer and our other dog is on her way out. My son is better with little dogs (he got bit by a friend-of-a-friend's dog a year or so ago and is scared-ish of bigger dogs now).

The dog that died with my son waiting for daddy:
http://mpghead.com/52.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

How big is he?

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Right now he is about 10lbs... all hair though.

He will probably be anywhere between 25-40lbs.

Its hard to imagine him on the upper end because he is so short.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

housetrained?

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I am guessing no.

He has went on some puppy pads twice... and once outside today. He got a bunch of praise on that one, and a bonus walk!!!!!

So whoever took him would have to commit to 4-5 hour potty breaks and limiting water to a schedule for 2-6 weeks.

To the right home that would spend the proper time with him they can have a huge box of puppy pads ~100 and Housetraining for Dummies. I bought them when my wife and I rescued Keeper last May. Keeper only needed ~ 5 pads... within a few days he was going outside and only had 2 accidents. The book is excellent.

I just tried the crate since he slept in it last night with the door open it took him 10 minutes of barking. I came in 5 mins after the barking stopped to give him a nyla bone and some treats. He is sleeping in the crate right now.

Also he has a week or so on Antibiotics, worming and Paid meds (however I think these are not needed as we went for a walk after his succsesful pee and he went for a little walk afterwards). He was Mr. Confident strutting his stuff!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

good/ok with kids/other pets?

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He is perfect with other pets... he ignored my cats and wants to play with Keeper. All wagging tails and proper snooting.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

The dog that died with my son waiting for daddy:

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Thats a touching picture.. :(

You are my hero! Thanks for saving him. I'd take him in a minute if we didn't already have so many....... Shouldn't have any trouble finding him a good home as cute as he is.

Bring him to Kellers Wed. nite!

Oh crap, how did you end up the new owner, that sucks. No good deed goes un-punished. :punchout: I'm curious, what did this ordeal cost you?

BTW, I had something similar happen to my about 10 years back. We were at the lake and had just loaded a jet ski into the bead of my truck. We also had our dog , Milo with us (Rat Terrier). He was on a leash due to the park rules. So once we pulled away from the ramp the dog either decided to jump out of the bed (he had never done that prior), or stood up on the Jet Ski and lost his footing. Either way, someone started honking and pointing at me. As I looked in my right mirror, I see Milo hanging from the leash, as it got caught up on the Ski, and bouncing off of the rear tire and was spinning :compress: Oh SH1T::Shocked:, I pulled over and released him. He was shook up and had some tire rash, but was fine, and is still living to this day, although at 15 years of age, his neck is a little stiff, and I wouldn't be surprised if its because of that incident some 10 years ago.

My hat is off to you, as I personally would never become financially responsible for someone else's dog, and for that matter, I have a financial limit on keeping my own dogs healthy. A couple of years ago I had a vet tell me I could do an MRI on my dogs neck to see why his neck is stiff for only $2500. I laughed and said you have to be kidding, it's a pet, not a kid. When he gets to be in too much pain, then a $.50 bullet will end it. Sure it will suck, and will be hard to do and emotional, but you have to keep things in perspective. After all that $2500 is just the beginning, then there will be treatments, and possibly surgery all for a (at the time) 13 year old dog, that could kick the bucket next year.

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this, but it's how I feel.

Flame coming up in 3...2...1...

Nope, no flames here. I've had to make that difficult decision before too. There is always a limit to how much a person can spend on even the best loved pet. It's a terrible situation but you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Darron65

Nope, no flames here. I've had to make that difficult decision before too. There is always a limit to how much a person can spend on even the best loved pet. It's a terrible situation but you gotta do whatcha gotta do.

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+1

Of course.

No one would ever condemn someone for not electing an exploratory procedure on a dog that is in its twillight years.

This situation was a bit different... the guy by his own negligence caused the trauma and the bill was $870 to fix a 3 month old puppy that would heal to 100%.

Heck if I were in his shoes the shame alone would force me to do the right thing.

Instead the kids witnessed their dad do this to their dog... be berrated at by some stranger on the street and then shirk responsibility in paying a medical bill shouldered by a complete stranger... priceless.

:clap:
Glad to see some fellow rescuers at work!

Hes a cute puppy, my wife would take him, but we already have three::Shocked:


Late last summer my wife was heading home in rush hour on 183 in irving, whe was in the far left lane when some *@#!! in front of her in a pickup stops on the highway, opens the passenger door, and throws a 4lb puppy about 10 - 15 feet into the grass median. My wife freaked, pulled over, grabbed the puppy before he could end up back on the road or something, made sure he was ok, and tried to get his lisense plate, but he had sped away at this point. She gave the description to the cops, but don't know if anything came of it.

Turns out he was a 4-5 week old black lab (full breed, or 70-80%, don't know for sure). Couldn't walk, or even see yet, barely could eat moist food.

Long story short we decided to keep him, named him Rocket, and 6 months later hes 51lbs, and a big boy. Hes a real pain in the ass, but we love him anyway :D

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...i/P1020156.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...i/P1030451.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...i/P1040062.jpg

All three of ours are strays, and that's how i'll keep it, i'll never buy from a breeder.


Good luck, I'm sure it won't be too hard finding a home.

^ good looking dog!

My wife is torn because we're trying to decide if we want another pet or to go "petless" for a while to have a bit more "pick up and go" type freedom for weekend trips and what not.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Jiggerachi

:clap:
Glad to see some fellow rescuers at work!

Hes a cute puppy, my wife would take him, but we already have three::Shocked:

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OMG that picture of the cat pulling the death bite is great!

Wow that is ridicuolus... its beyond belief how cruel people are sometimes.

Here are some new pics we took on our last pee pee break/walk.

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ewaresmall.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2365.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2400.jpg

Is the puppy already spoken for? I'm not commiting to anything but I wanted to know before I decide to show him to my mom, don't want to have her love him then find he's already spoken for.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JuanoTejano

Is the puppy already spoken for? I'm not commiting to anything but I wanted to know before I decide to show him to my mom, don't want to have her love him then find he's already spoken for.

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I sent Ken a PM earlier, my gf and I will probably go check him out. Nothing definite though.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JuanoTejano

Is the puppy already spoken for? I'm not commiting to anything but I wanted to know before I decide to show him to my mom, don't want to have her love him then find he's already spoken for.

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Nope still avail... he is a special little guy.

He has now gone 3 times outside without an incident. Crosses fingers!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by goofygrin

^ good looking dog!

My wife is torn because we're trying to decide if we want another pet or to go "petless" for a while to have a bit more "pick up and go" type freedom for weekend trips and what not.

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:D I board dogs for cheap
so you can:burnrubr:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by XM_Rocks

Nope still avail... he is a special little guy.

He has now gone 3 times outside without an incident. Crosses fingers!

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My mom would take him in a second if she wasn't already saddled with the basketcase-idiot-piss at the sound of the phone ring-mongrel she's got now thanks to the introduction by your local mailman, when she was still a cute pup.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cam76034

My mom would take him in a second if she wasn't already saddled with the basketcase-idiot-piss at the sound of the phone ring-mongrel she's got now thanks to the introduction by your local mailman, when she was still a cute pup.

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Maybe Ken takes trade-ins? :rolleyes:

Some more pics of him and Keeper playing...

This one looks like he is telling a joke!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ET/LOLDogs.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2454.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2446.jpg

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...T/DSC_2428.jpg

My mom is interested in him if we could look at him either anytime this week after 7pm except wednesday or pretty much anytime this weekend. I'd also hope that the puppies adoption will be by first expressing serious interest rather than whoever can make it out there first. So I think that would mean that I/my mom have second dibs after Cosmos, correct me if I'm wrong.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JuanoTejano

My mom is interested in him if we could look at him either anytime this week after 7pm except wednesday or pretty much anytime this weekend.

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PM sent.

What's up with pickup trucks in Austin lately... a guy on Supraforums just lost his little sister to an idiot camp instructor doing donuts with 6 kids in the back of one. :(

The best bargain mankind ever struck was with dogs. They take what food we can spare, what shelter we can spare and any time we can spare and in return the give us their...all.
Garrison Keiler (he may have been quoting someone else?)
It's my favorite line about dogs.

That is a good one Paul.

Looks like the dog now has a home! My wife just called me and told me the great news.

The counsler at my wifes school and her husband are avid dog lovers and they just lost one of their dogs to an illness back in November.

They also have offered without us asking to pay for all of the costs we incurred... just amazing. ::Shocked:

He is going to a great home... thanks for all the interest!

::Banana::::Banana::::Banana::::Banana::::Banana:: ::Banana::::Banana::::Banana::

At better home than the Griswolds could of given him..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Wc9...eature=related

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Originally Posted by Ataim

At better home than the Griswolds could of given him..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82Wc9...eature=related

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I love that scene! ::Banana::


That was a cute puppy, glad it found a home, and that your cost were covered. Wow!:clap:

Puppy went home last night... he is a very lucky pooch.

Both people are in the teaching field so he will have lots of time with them in the summer! ::Banana::

This is their first non-Bulldog dog in quite some time.

Also worth noting the first thing out of his mouth when he saw Keeper and the little pooch play is that they may be getting a playmate.

Thanks for all of the words of support and offers to adopt.

Just when I am ready to write off humanity like I was on Sunday I am reminded that as equally bad as the event was the response was overwhelming.

The puppy is in cult status at my wifes school... she learned that there are many dog lovers on her staff. Everyone offering assitance from helping take the pup for a few days to help give us a break, to fosetring and of course to outright adopt the animal.

To all on here that have left kind words or set up times to see the dog... thank you!

Yesterday we had him groomed and the hair cleared out of his eyes.

He is quite a brave and tough little dude... within a day of being dragged at highway speeds and having his whole rear area ran over by a tire he couldn't be happier. Will make me put things in perspective the next time I think I am having a bad day. :rolleyes:

Here is the last picture:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a1...ewalksmall.jpg

Congrats! New owners should name him Speed Bump, Wheelie, or Chock. Maybe Dodge. ;)

Major kudos!!! Nice to see at least some decent people still out there...sure seems like less and less and more of the idiot jerks like the previous owners of the dog.

Nothing as hair raising as that but I've actually picked up a few dogs on the side of the road and found them homes. My cousin is working on becoming Mrs. Doolittle! She had 6 dogs at one point and all but the 2 from the pound were strays! Another great way to help dogs if you are into large dogs and have the yard I used to have a rescued race Greyhound. Wonderful dog and great we gave it a good home; it never did fully get over being afraid of baseball hats due to the trainers at the track likely beating it with their hats. :(

Update:

Since the wife works with my wife I am getting a steady stream of updates.

The puppy is now named "Tuff".. :D

He spends the night in the crate near his owners bed... and for a short time in the morning gets to sleep up in the bed with the husband who gets up later.

His days are now spent lounging in their sunroom. ::Banana::

Also worth mentioning this weekend they were scheduled to drive out of town to Oklahoma. They had to cancel their hotel that they made arrangements in and they rebooked a hotel that would allow pets in the room. Yes he is going with them... :clap:

Also worth noting they wrote us a check for ALL of our expenses without us asking. Something we would never expect in a million years.