When Donna Lochmann got into her Jeep on a morning in February, she had no intention of rescuing any strays that she may come across. The veteran rescuer is often ready in the event that an unexpected rescue is required, but at this time, she was heading directly to an emergency call.
Natalie Thompson, one of her coworkers, stepped into the passenger seat so that she could go along with Lochmann on the journey. Nevertheless, when Thompson was staring out the window, she saw a person who was short and brown and was hanging out on a side street.
According to Lochmann, the chief life-saving officer at Stray Rescue of St. Louis, in an interview with The Dodo, “Just down one of the side streets, Natalie observed a dog.”
Lochmann did not want to abandon the dog, but she was aware that the rescue operation would take some time, and they had another dog waiting for them that was experiencing a medical emergency. Hence, she made the decision to pick up the first puppy and then return later to check on the progress of the tiny dog.
“When we got the first dog, we went back down the street where we’d discovered her earlier, but we didn’t see her anywhere,” Lochmann said. “After we got the first dog, we went back down the street where we’d found her earlier.” “And then we saw her in a back alley,” the speaker continues.
Lochmann followed the dog’s progress as it made its way down the side of the alley. The person who rescued her attempted to keep up with her but shortly lost track of the dog. She traveled all the way to the end of the alleyway, where she saw an abandoned multi-story structure beside a small field.
“Because I didn’t see her walking in the field, I just sort of thought that she walked inside the building,” Lochmann said. “I didn’t see her strolling in the field.”
The first level of the building was where Lochmann entered the structure, and she made her way across the room that was filled with rubbish. She discovered an old, deteriorating staircase tucked away in the corner that went to the level above.
Lochmann said that there was not much on the second level of the building. “But, there was a blanket in the general vicinity of the center, and I noticed her resting there.”
Lochmann established direct eye contact with the dog, which gave off the impression of being rather young. She instinctively sought a slip lead, which is one of her most reliable rescue equipment, but she instantly realized that she did not have it with her.
In his response, Lochmann said, “I only had one slip lead with me, and it was on the dog that was in the Vehicle.”
The person who came to the dog’s rescue went to her vehicle to get the slip lead, but when she returned, the dog was nowhere to be seen.
According to Lochmann, “it turned out that there was a door on the second level that went outdoors to the rear half of the building.” “At first, I was clueless about the fact that there was another route out, but she was aware of it.”
Lochmann would not give up looking for the dog and continued his search around the perimeter of the building. Eventually, he saw her sitting in an open field.
Since the rescuer had no idea what kind of temperament the dog may have, she approached the puppy with as much caution as she could muster.
Lochmann said, “She wasn’t coming up to me, and I didn’t want her to panic out and go off.” “So, I simply kind of crouched down and began throwing Vienna sausages near to her,” the speaker says.
Her gaze was drawn to the sausages.
According to Lochmann, “she followed that trail of Vienna sausages and ultimately came up to me.”
When Lochmann was at last successful in putting a leash on the dog, she saw that the animal exhibited some degree of nervousness. Despite this, her response to being rescued was one of relief and joy rather than panic.
She placed her feet up on the back of the Jeep, and she allowed me to hoist her in,” Lochmann said. “Some dogs are more scared of going into the Vehicle and allowing me to pick them up, but she put her feet up on the back of the Jeep.” I had the impression that she was prepared to go.
Dodie was the dog’s name, and Lochmann took her to the veterinarian with her. Amazingly, Dodie did not resist once as the veterinary team performed a comprehensive examination on her.
Dodie, who was clearly relieved, melted into the arms of the veterinarian team as they checked her thoroughly for any injuries.
“She was really kind,” Lochmann said about her.
The only issue with the puppy’s health was that it was too underweight. Thus, the medical staff devised a diet for her to follow in order to facilitate her recovery. Afterward, they assisted her in locating the most suitable foster family for her needs.
Since then, Dodie has been placed in a foster home, where she is making the most of her life as she waits for the ideal family to adopt her permanently.
Her friends at Stray Rescue miss having the puppy’s lovely energy about the shelter, but they are so delighted that she no longer has to sleep on a blanket in the center of an empty building since she now gets to sleep on a comfortable, warm bed instead.
Lochmann said that “she is deserving of it.” “In all seriousness, she does.”