At first, it was not so bad, my owner would come out daily and dump a cup of kibble in my metal pie plate and fill my plastic bucket with water. He said few words, but I was always excited to see him. My tail wagged joyously. However, after a couple of weeks, his visits became infrequent. Sometimes days would pass before I would see him. I would often wake up from a nap and walk over to my metal plate to see if perhaps he left a bite for me while I was asleep, but it was always empty. Once every several days, he would appear, sometimes with a small handful of kibble, sometimes just a few leftover scraps, but I was always happy to see him…he was my Master.
As the days grew longer, and hotter, I wished he would come more often. What little water remained in my plastic bucket was green and slimy, filled with mosquitos. Severely dehydrated, fatigue set in, yet when I would see him in passing, I would still muster enough energy to lift my tail to greet my Master.
Hunger pangs startled me after a while—the low guttural growl would waken me from sleep, making it hard to drift off again. I scoured the surrounding area for scraps, grubs, sticks, anything that I could make a meal out of and stop the rumbling, but there is only so much area one can cover when they are chained to a tree. I started eating my plastic bucket. I had dropped so much weight, that I looked like a sack of bones. My flesh covered in oozing sores with maggots feeding on the rotten flesh. The tips of my ears, covered in mange, were beginning to rot. It had been days, weeks even since I had seen him. I finally realized--my Master had abandoned me.
I am not sure what divine intervention led me to two angels one day. Fresh water and delicious food they brought, and while my brain screamed to gobble it all up, my body was too weak. I ate what I could and succumbed to their efforts. The rest of my memory remains foggy after that, but one thing that I will always remember--that was the day I was rescued from my Master, and found love in the arms of my guardian angels.
Ringo is an older dog, and he has a long road to recovery. His vet bill will be astronomical, but the Giles County Humane Association is committed to making sure this poor baby gets the care he needs. Please open your heart and make a donation to help us save Ringo’s life—every single dollar helps.
