On February 25, Wade Shapp and his wife Mandi were driving home from church, as they do every Sunday.
This particular day, however, would offer them a huge surprise – and not a nice one. Whilst driving, Wade spotted something on the roadside that forced him to slam on the brakes.
“We were on a country road on the way back to our house … and I looked over while I was driving, and I saw a dog’s head pop up,” Shapp told The Dodo.
Due to the fact they live out in the country in Texas, Wade and Mandi Shapps are used to seeing farm dogs running loose on the roads.
This time, however, something was different.
“I noticed that he (the dog) wasn’t moving, and he was in a bag. And I thought, ‘Well, that doesn’t make sense.’”
With Shapp and Mandi both being big dog lovers, they chose not to waste a single moment. They jumped out of the car to take a closer look.
It transpired that the poor pup was stuck inside a feed sack. According to Wade, it looked to have been intentionally sealed shut.
“You could tell that it was done intentionally. There was rope tied around the bottom, so he didn’t have much room to move,” he explained.
Of course, the first thing the couple tried to do was get the dog out.
“We didn’t have a knife or anything to cut him out of the bag, so we had to use our car key,” Shapp said.
They then wrapped him in a warm coat and took him back to their car.
They decided to name the pooch Bubba, and he seemed extremely grateful to finally get some human warmth and love.
However, Bubba was also afraid. It was several hours before he stopped shaking and felt at ease with his rescuers. Nobody knows how long Bubba was stuck in the feed sack, but Wade seems to believe it must have been about 24 hours.
Wade, who gave Bubba a proper bath, said: “He smelled pretty bad. He had urine and stuff all over him.”
With Bubba calming down during his bath, Wade realised he was starting to relax:
“I felt like that was a big trust thing. I think he knows that we saved him.”
The very next day, Wade and Mandi took Bubba to the vets. The couple had looked over him themselves and felt as though the dog’s overall condition was okay.
Yet, to their surprise, they received some shocking news at the veterinarians. It turned out that Bubba had a gunshot wound on the inside of his upper leg.
“I don’t know how I missed it, because it’s very large,” Wade said.
The current theory is that someone (possibly the former owner) tried to kill Bubba, and failed. When the attempt on his life was unsuccessful, they forced the dog into a bag, tied it shut and left him to die.
At the moment, the animal rescue team Dallas DogRRR is helping to find Bubba a new, loving home. That said, the Shapps family are in no hurry to get of him – they’re going to be there until Bubba makes a full recovery.
Wade and Mandi also own to other dogs, Isabelle and Dixie. It looks like they’ve already become good friends with Bubba!
It’s Wade, however, who has formed the strongest bond with the lucky pup. Bubba goes to work with him, every day, and follows wherever he goes.
Bubba’s strength, energy and joy have impressed Wade – he doesn’t think Bubba will have any problems at all when it comes to adapting to a new family.
I think we can all agree that Bubba is one tough little guy? After all, it takes a lot to get through what he has!
It makes me sad to think about how some owners treat their animals. They should be held accountable for their crimes!
At the same time, it’s important to focus on the positive efforts made by all the great humans out there. Here’s to those everyday people who listen to their hearts and do the right thing!
It’s thanks to people like Wade and Mandi that dogs like Bubba can get a second chance at life.
Please share this story if you feel that more people need to be made aware!
