It was a relaxed morning for Donna Lochmann, with a new rescue task on her agenda – part of the job with plenty of dangers behind the bends – but one she accomplished with all her heart and passion.
“A dog is waiting and needs our help!” » said that experienced St. Louis Wandering Rescue first aider after an emergency call for medical intervention.
Her co-worker, Natalie Thompson, immediately jumped into the passenger seat with the same passion and pride that another puppy would be saved.
Little did they know that a much bigger journey awaited them on the streets of St. Louis.
An unexpected change of plans
As Donna sped up so they could get to their destination on time, Natalie suddenly jumped up and yelled at Donna to slow down.
“I just saw something small and brown lying around on a side street” Donna said to a surprised Natalie. “Maybe it’s another dog that needs our help.” she continued.
Indeed, it was a puppy and Natalie confirmed it. But, as she later stated in an interview, reason always prevailed, even though she decided it was wiser to return for him after their main mission.
The medical intervention was quick and successful, and everything was perfectly ready for the start of another rescue mission.
A cover full of emotions
Arriving at the “crime scene”, they immediately got out of the car to find their dog, but unfortunately there was no trace of him.
“I was so devastated at that moment” Natalie later admitted this. But as an experienced first aider, her senses were very keen and she began looking down an alley. And BOOM, there she was. A frightened, skinny dog rushing in an unknown direction.
At that point, Natalie lost sight of the dog, but immediately noticed her at the end of the alley, where she entered an abandoned multi-story building.
Natalie later admitted that it was one of the scariest places she had ever visited, but that only made her more motivated to save this poor puppy, because no one deserves to be in a place like this one.
Once she entered the building, she immediately noticed the stairs. They were definitely unstable, but what kind of person would she be if she hadn’t taken this chance?
Once she reached the second floor, her eyes were immediately filled with tears because of what she had witnessed. A skinny little puppy in a blanket trying to keep warm in the harsh, cold place she lived in.
A proud moment for every dog rescuer
After this difficult moment, Natalie didn’t wait another second and immediately grabbed her leash, but quickly realized that she didn’t have it.
“I only had one leash with me, and it was the leash for the dog in the Jeep,” » said Lochmann.
When she returned from the Jeep with her most trusted rescue tool, her puppy wasn’t there. Luckily, Natalie noticed another door on the second floor and realized the dog had exited through that door.
And yes, after walking through the outskirts of the building, she found her sitting in an open field. She didn’t want to scare him and she didn’t know his personality either.
But hey, what could go wrong if you offered the dog food? The Vienna sausages did the trick and she immediately gained the puppy’s trust.
Natalie named this little darling “Dodie” because she had such a cute doll face.
After that it was very easy to put the dog on a leash and get him into the Jeep.
“Usually this is one of the hardest parts of the whole mission because some dogs are really scared, but Dodie is truly one of a kind,” said Nathalie.
Give her the life she truly deserves
After a successful rescue mission, the two brave rescuers took her to the vet and, as expected for this extraordinary girl, she passed the test without a single whimper. Like that girl!
Even his health was surprisingly good. The only problem was that she was underweight.
For this reason, she followed a strict eating schedule, with a very small portion several times a day.
To this day, Dodie is safe in foster care, wrapped in a truly warm and fluffy blanket, with the added true love of her adoptive mother, Nicolina, and other loving and volunteer people from this incredible family reception.
