Though the end of the summer is close at hand, it’s not here yet, and the weather is still as hot and oppressive as ever. In places with temperatures spiking above 90 degrees, even less than an hour’s exposure to the extreme heat can prove potentially life-threatening, not just for humans, but for animals, too.
There’s never a good time or place to be a stray, but this summer was particularly brutal for stray animals in Texas. This poor stray Golden Retriever almost fell victim to the deadly weather herself, were it not for the actions of the kindly mother who rescued her!
Texas foster mom @streetheartstx was driving her kid to school when she spotted something moving in a ditch, almost obscured by the weeds. As she approached, she could see a pitiful Golden Retriever hiding in the tree line, obviously frightened. But the foster mom was patient, giving the pup her space while calling her over until she finally, cautiously, approached.
The poor dog was extremely scared, overheated, and stressed. Worse still, she had a nasty fresh gash on one of her front legs. Nevertheless, she was very sweet, and Street Heart was eventually able to coax her into her car so she could cool down and get some water while they finished the drive to school. By the time they got home, the stray pup was so tired and nervous that Street Heart had to carry her indoors!
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@streetheartstx I was taking my kid to school when I saw a dog in the ditch. She looked hot and I was worried she was hurt. She took a little coaxing but eventually came cowering over. She is just a pup and the sweetest thing! Looks like she got hung up on a fence and sliced her arm open. We grabbed an appointment for tomorrow. We are calling her Maddie 🤍
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Fortunately, this story has an optimistic update. The sweet stray, whom Street Heart affectionately dubbed “Maddie,” went to the vet the day after her rescue to receive a rabies vaccine and treatment for hookworm and her leg injury, which was thankfully already starting to heal on its own.
The 28-pound pup was estimated to be around 6-10 months old and had no microchip. Maddie is still nervous at home and submissive to Street Heart’s other household pets (including her cat), but she continues to be very sweet to her rescuers and is slowly coming around!
“As much as we’d love to keep Maddie, we can only be her foster home. We have multiple dogs already and we want to be able to help the next one in need because in our area, there is always a next one,” said Street Heart. “Maddie is the 38th foster dog this year alone. In a month she’ll be adoptable via Paddy’s Paws out of Wisconsin!”
Maddie still has a ways to go before she finds her forever home, but now she’s safe, healthy, and on the right track. If you’d like to throw your hat in the ring as a possible pet parent for Maddie, check out Paddy’s Paws online, and be on the lookout for Maddie when she makes the big trip to Wisconsin next month!
You are an Earth Angel. That little one was lucky to have found you . God bless you. 😇 💖