The story of one dog’s rescue from deplorable conditions in the Wiregrass is starting to pick up steam on social media.
According to a post from Saje Cox Loftin, a previous post of hers inspired her friend Erica to go above and beyond in saving a husky that “was chained up and starving” in Houston County.
Erica, after seeing the post and getting “a little reassurance that [Loftin would] have her back if she got arrested,” “went and took the dog from the property and left a note saying she was going to have the dog vetted.”
Loftin again assured Erica that she “would have the couple arrested for animal cruelty” before letting her go to jail for saving the dog. So, when the owner “called LIVID demanding she returned the dog” and “claimed [the dog] was being treated for a condition & that’s why he looked the way he did,” Erica stood her ground and took the husky to see a vet.
According to the vet, the owner’s claim “was a lie and the dog is healthy besides being extremely malnourished.” With this information in hand, Erica responded to the owner with the credible possibility of “pressing animal cruelty charges,” and the owner quickly “said Erica could keep the dog.”
However, not only did Erica save the dog’s life, she has discovered that he has a previous owner who has been desperately trying to get him back.
After scanning the husky for a microchip, Erica discovered the original owners, who were from Alaska of all places.
As Loftin outlined, “Two years ago, their daughter was sick & they believed that she was allergic to the dog so they rehomed him hoping to keep her out of the hospital (it was actually a severe sun allergy). The family immediately regretted it & contacted the [new owner] but she wouldn’t give them any information on where the dog was.”
Now, Erica is getting the dog healthy again and will return him to his original owners, “where he’ll get to spend the rest of his life.”
Loftin commented, “Can you imagine the look on that babies face when he’s reunited with his people after being on a chained & starved?!”
She added, “I’m thankful for people in my circle who aren’t afraid to risk going to jail in order to save a dogs life… Not all stories have such a happy ending but this one deserves to be shared. It’s also a great reminder of why you should microchip your dog & that animal cruelty is happening EVERY DAY. Please stay alert & report anything that looks suspicious or animals that look to be neglected.”
Loftin explained that even though Erica wanted no credit for the good deed, she had to share the story to showcase Erica’s “heart of gold” and inspire others who may encounter abused pets.
Loftin runs a Facebook group called “Wiregrass Rescue Pets,” about which she emphasized, “We constantly need fosters, donations, transports, & people to share posts to network animals.”
Sean Ross is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on Twitter @sean_yhn
