A few weeks ago when I stopped at a local convenience store, I was greeted by yet another stray dog. This big fellow, who was later named George by the store’s employees, greeted me in a most friendly manner. He looked to be in pretty good health, not starving like so many others and I was told that someone had dropped him off at the store after finding him near a dumpster in hopes that his owner would find him there.
Over the past two weeks when I would pass by or stop at the store, I’d see George either laying in the parking lot or standing near a customer, wagging his tail. When he would see me or another patron pull into the parking lot, he would always trot over with a big grin on his face to say hello. He seemed to have no fear of people and just wanted to greet everyone that stopped by. The store’s employees said that no one has come to look for him and that George has been extremely friendly to all of the people that he’d meet.
A few days ago, I received a call from this store, informing me that George had been struck by a vehicle. They said his injuries included a nasty gash on one leg and a swollen ankle to a rear leg. The gash had started to show signs of infection and George seemed to be in pain. I was asked to come check on George and see what, if anything I could do for him.
When I arrived I found George lying in the rear parking lot of the store. He didn’t get up to come greet me, there was no wagging of his tail like he normally would do when seeing people. He held his head low, looking fearful. The gash to his front left leg looked worse than it was but there was evidence of gangrene setting in and his rear ankle had an open wound and was swollen pretty badly. On the top of his white head and down his back was a black sticky substance that appeared to be road tar. When George stood and tried to walk, he had a definite limp and moved slowly. While he had always been eager to interact with people, on this day George seemed to be very wary of everyone.
The store’s employee then told me that she knew who had hit George and that this person had stated he intentionally “ran over” George. The man didn’t give any specific reason for wanting to run George over, didn’t say that this ever-friendly fellow had been threatening or done anything wrong. The man apparently just wanted to run him over for sport. I was even told this man was heard laughed about striking George.
I spoke to our law enforcement about this man intentionally injuring George, even sharing the name that I was given and that there were people willing to recant what this man had told them. When I asked if I could file a complaint against this person, the officer pretty much shrugged the entire incident off, saying “Dogs get run over all the time”. It’s evident that there will be action by our law enforcement against the person that hit George, which is typical whenever there is any sort of animal abuse or neglect in this area.
While his wounds were not life threatening, I knew that unless George received some sort of care, the infection would cause his wounds to become a major issue. So with the help of the store’s employee, we loaded George into my truck and took him to a safe place so he could start receiving care to his wounds. I’m happy to say that George is doing much better, even walking around ease and the swelling to his ankle has reduced a bit. After his wounds were washed and under the direction of our vet, we started George on oral and topical antibiotics, which are already starting to help. In the few days that he’s been with us, George has been extremely friendly to all, especially to the pack of small dogs that he’s had to share space with.
We would like to get George’s ankle x-rayed to make sure that there will be no lingering problems. We’d also hope to get him neutered and renew his vaccines since we have no idea when he last received these. Once George receives his vet care and his wounds are healed, I’m sure that we can find a loving home for him.
Please consider making a donation to help with the cost of George’s vet care. Donations can be made through George’s dedicated Fundrazr site, through our web page or you can email us for other options.
And if you’re interested in offering a home to George, please contact us at socorescue@yahoo.com or submit an application on our web site at www.socorescue.com
